Instructional style preferences: physical therapy faculty members in the United States.

The purpose of this study was to describe the instructional styles of physical therapy faculty in basic professional programs in the United States in the academic year 1977-78. The Instructional Styles Inventory of Canfield and Canfield was used to test 311 respondents (61% of the total basic preparation faculty members contacted). The "typical" faculty member is described and compared to the "typical" student described in an earlier study. Commonalities and discrepancies between student learning styles and faculty instructional styles are discussed. A rather unexpectedly high level of agreement between students and faculty as to preferred modes of teaching and learning was demonstrated.