Learning Style Preferences in College Students with Different Majors

In a student-centered teaching and learning environment, students' needs, potentials, and learning styles are considered crucial. Therefore, teachers need to understand what learning styles students prefer to teach effectively. In the current study, a quantitative research approach has been adopted in this study within it descriptive research designed was used. To determine the preferred learning styles of B.Ed. students, VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic) learning style model has been used. Since the data was collected using the VARK questionnaire, simple random sampling techniques were used. The reliability of the instrument was calculated through Cronbach α= 0.75. The sample of the study consists of 140 Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) students of a Public Sector University located in Northern Sindh, Pakistan. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics (percentages mean and standard deviation) to determine the most preferred style of learning of students. The results of the study revealed that 27.93% of the B.Ed. students have preferred aural learning style, 25.13% kinaesthetic learning style, 22.65% visual style of learning and 21.09% preferred read/write learning style respectively. To conclude that the majority of the B.Ed. students preferred aural learning style and the least preferred style of learning was read/write. Hence, B.Ed. students were driven towards an aural learning style. This study suggests that students learning styles are influenced by the teacher’s teaching style. Therefore, the teacher can determine his/her teaching style by using the score of the VARK questionnaire. The study recommends that another study can be conducted by the teachers to learn about the larger number of students’ preferred learning styles. The teacher can also address a mixture of learning styles. In the classroom, there are always diverse learners. In that case, the teacher can use integrated teaching style which can address all learners preferred teaching style.

INTRODUCTION: Learning styles refer to the ways an individual processes and retain new information and skills. Knowledge about preferred learning styles can assist in developing effective pedagogies and enhance classroom–learning experiences. Optimal learning environments consider how students learn and utilize various teaching methods for curriculum delivery to match specified student learning preferences. METHODS: This cross-sectional study presents the findings of the preferred learning style of 97 physiotherapy students studying in JSS College of Physiotherapy, Mysuru, using a self-administered questionnaire developed by Victoria Chislett and Alan Chapman, 2005. Data were collected using the survey method through Google Forms. RESULTS: We found equal distribution of unimodal and multimodal learning style. Among the unimodal style of learning, 20.6% of participants had predominantly auditory learning style. 15.46% of participants had predominantly visual learning style. 10.3% of participants had predominantly kinesthetic learning style. In multimodal style of learning, 21.6% of participants had predominantly visual and auditory learning styles. 15.46% of participants had predominantly visual and kinesthetic learning style. 12.37% of participants had predominantly auditory and kinesthetic learning style and only 1% of participants had visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning style. CONCLUSION: The most preferred unimodal learning style among physiotherapy students was auditory followed by visual and kinesthetic. The most preferred multimodal style of learning was visual and auditory, followed by visual and kinesthetic.

It is crucial to study learning and teaching styles because some studies have shown that a match between teaching and learning styles helps to enhance the learning process. So, teachers should identify their own teaching styles as well as their learning styles to obtain better academic achievement in the classroom. This study focuses on the students’ learning styles, teachers’ teaching styles, and whether there is a match or mismatch between student and teacher teaching style preferences in King Abdullah Second School for Excellence in Jordan. The results show that most tenth grade students at King Abdullah Second School for Excellence in Jordan prefer to learn by using visual and individual styles. Also, the English teacher, Mr. Ashraf’s major teaching style preferences are visual and individual. Thus, there is a match between the teacher’s preferred teaching style and the students’ preferred learning style at King Abdullah Second School for Excellence, Irbid, Jordan.

Given the receptivity of American colleges to international students, administrators and professors must recognize the diversity such registrants bring to campus in the form of achievement, age, gender, language, and national differences. The purpose of this study was to compare learning style preferences of international first year college students and to analyze the effects of accommodating learning-style preferences of first year international college students on achievement and anxiety levels over one semester. This paper focused on the identification of learning style profiles of first time visiting Japanese, Korean, and Chinese college student populations. It assessed anxiety and acculturation levels of these international students when they were first introduced to the American educational system which incorporated teacher facilitation and promoted student directed studies. Finally, student learning styles were assessed after a six-week summer session to see if learning styles remained the same after students were introduced to the American educational system.

PurposeThis study aims to incorporate the Honey and Mumford’s learning styles questionnaire (LSQ) to assess the learning style preferences of postgraduate students at the British University in Dubai (BUiD), as well as investigating whether there are statistically significant differences in such preferences from demographic and academic characteristics perspective.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaires were distributed to a sample of 200 students (males and females) in various postgraduate programs. Descriptive statistics analysis presented the main characteristics of the respondents and the results of the study. The independent samples t-test and Kurskal–Wallis test determined if there are significant differences in learning style preferences among the postgraduate students because of their demographic and academic characteristics.FindingsThe results revealed that postgraduate students preferred the theorist (20.36), reflector (20.31), pragmatist (19.00) and activist (18.62) learning styles, while no significant statistical differences were found across the four learning styles from demographic and academic characteristics standpoint.Research/limitations implicationsOn one hand, the present study has several limitations. First, the findings of the study are based on data from only single university. Second, the sample is limited to postgraduate students. Third, the results are based on a self-reported questionnaire, which might affect their reliability. On the other hand, this study has some implications for educators and students. Its results could help educator adopt appropriate teaching styles and strategies that match the preferred learning styles of the majority of their students. Students themselves could also benefit from knowing their own learning style.Originality/valueThe present study is the first scholarly attempt to explore learning style preferences of postgraduate students in the UAE higher education context.

PurposeEntrepreneurship is a process of learning. The entrepreneurial learning process incorporates a cumulative series of multifaceted entrepreneurial experiences, which generally involve the development of new insights and behaviours. This study aimed to determine whether entrepreneurial experience has an influence on the preferred learning styles of students. The study also investigated the appropriateness of the Reduced Kolb Learning Style Inventory as a measuring instrument.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted on 586 male and 690 female students from South Africa (n = 1042) and Norway (n = 244). The Reduced Kolb Learning Style Inventory, making use of principal correspondence analysis, was used to determine the preferred learning styles, while the students' level of entrepreneurial experience was captured by items addressing prior entrepreneurial experience.FindingsThe analysis revealed a simpler measure of students' preferred learning styles, comprising a total of 12 items with three items per learning style. The study revealed that the preferred learning style was more important for students who had entrepreneurial experience than for those with less entrepreneurial experience. If students with entrepreneurial experience have stronger concerns for how they learn, it contributes to the understanding of the content of entrepreneurial learning.Originality/valueA modified Reduced Kolb Learning Style Inventory resulted in a concise instrument measuring students' preferred learning style in adherence to Kolb's work and evidenced its usefulness. This study contributes to a field that has been under-researched, related to the association between students' past and current entrepreneurial experience and their learning style preference, and aims to bridge the two research fields. This research explores these links and points to how these insights could inform entrepreneurship education.

Identification of learning styles is one way of contributing to a more efficient teaching process, and it helps teachers choose an effective teaching strategy. This study reports a three-year process to explain the change in the learning styles of physical education students. It also involves an assessment of the overall academic achievement of physical education students based on their learning style preferences throughout this process. Forty-one physical education students, 41.5% of whom were female, comprised the sample. The study used a longitudinal study/panel study design to observe the time-dependent variation of learning styles. The data were collected using the Kolb Learning Style Inventory 3 and analysed using a Chi-Squared (χ2) test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Mann-Whitney U test. The results of the analysis showed that the curriculum of the PE teaching department did not lead to a change in the learning styles of students studying in this department. Additionally, the overall academic achievement of the physical education students did not vary for the first (Semester 3) and second measurements (Semester 5) based on their learning style preferences. However, for the third measurement (Semester 7), learning style preferences had differing effects on their academic achievement.
 Key Words: Study process, learning style, longitudinal study, teacher candidate

“From the classroom to Dr. YouTube”: nursing students' experiences of learning and teaching styles in Jordan

A learning style indicates a person's preferred way of learning. Students do not learn in the same way and a number of different learning style preferences exist which can change according to experience, i.e. a student's learning style preference may change over time. For accounting students this experience varies according to the institution attended and the programme of study. This paper presents the results of a study of 410 students enrolled on an undergraduate accounting programme in 1998/1999 at two UK universities where students underwent different experiences. Their learning style preferences are analysed against background variables of gender, nationality and institution attended. Also the changes in learning style preferences of students enrolled on the first year in 1998/1999 and who completed their final year in 2000/2001 are analysed. The study shows that differences in learning style preferences exist and that learning style preferences change over time. The paper discusses the implications of these changes and calls for further work in the area.

Learning styles denote the talent of learner to identify and process information in learning situations. The capability to recognize students’ learning styles can escalate the educational outcomes. We take in information through our senses. VAK (Visual, auditory, Kinaesthetic or tactile) learning style is in which students use three of their senses to receive information. This study researches the learning preferences (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic) for which the students completed the self-report instrument Learning Style Survey (VAK) Faculty can include these learning styles in their classroom events so that students are made proficient to be successful in their courses. The purpose of this study is to measure Visual, Auditory, and tactile learning style among postgraduate management students. A descriptive study is undertaken. Data for the study is collected from a sample of 101 postgraduate management degree students out of which were males and were females., Frequencies and Percentage was used for data analysis. The results show that the visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning style is the same order in which the study sample responded (54.5%) (35.6%) and (4.0%), respectively. Male students prefer the visual and auditory learning styles) more than female students, while preference for kinesthetic learning style was seen predominantly in male students only. From the mean values it can be said that female students preferred the visual learning style more while the male students preferred the tactile learning style. The researcher recommends that management educators learn about students ’learning styles and offer a teaching style that includes methods to benefit all the learning styles.

Every student absorbs and processes knowledge in a different way, which distinguishes each from one another. Some students may have a combination of learning styles. In order to apply a variety of teaching strategies that are ideal to accommodate all types of learners in the classroom, it is crucial for a teacher to understand the learning preferences of his or her students. This study was carried out to investigate the students’ learning style and reading performance, and determine if there is a significant correlation between the two variables. The VAT learning style, which stands for visual, auditory, and tactile, was the only focus of this study. This study employs a descriptive-correlational analysis of variables to discover whether there is a significant relationship between the two variables and to describe the variables. There were 72 Grade 8 students from Libertad National High School, Libertad Misamis Oriental, Philippines who participated in this study. The Learning Style Survey Questionnaire was utilized to determine the students' preferred learning styles, and three reading passages with a total of 30-item questions were used to determine the students' reading performance. In this study, the percentage and chi-square test were both employed to obtain the results. The findings indicate that the majority of students’ response is auditory. Regarding their reading performance, most students are at the instructional level. As the p-value of 0.6086 is greater than the 0.05 level of significance, the results showed that the student's learning style is not significantly related to their reading performance. Thus, a student's preferred learning style has no relation to how well they read. This implies that being an auditory learner does not guarantee that a student would excel in reading and become an independent reader. Future studies may thus employ different grade levels or concentrate on the two learning preferences—visual and auditory—to see whether there is a significant relationship between them and the students’ reading proficiency.

The popular American children's story, The Little Engine that Could, is renowned for the engine saying think I I think I can, instilling the power of self-belief in the young. The importance of this self-belief, otherwise termed self-efficacy, has been studied by many researchers at the university level. Correlations between (i) self-efficacy and learning style, (ii) learning style and performance, and (iii) self-efficacy and performance have been independently investigated by others in numerous contexts. We are studying the link between student learning style preferences, self-efficacy, and performance in an introductory chemical engineering course. Using the Felder-Silverman model of learning styles developed for engineering, and the subsequent Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles indicator, we are analyzing each learning style dimension separately to better understand the subtleties of learning style effects. We believe this integrated study in a traditional lecture-based engineering classroom context will provide valuable information for engineering education. Results will provide evidence regarding whether learning styles may affect student performance or self-efficacy, as well as identify natural biases in chemical engineering problems translatable to other fields. A better understanding of student background and learning preferences is invaluable in developing improved curriculum, especially in the ever-changing modern classroom.

BackgroundStudents may have different learning styles. It is unclear, however, whether tailoring instructional methods for a student’s preferred learning style improves educational outcomes when teaching procedures. The authors sought to examine whether teaching to a student’s self-perceived learning style improved the acquisition of intravenous (IV) catheter placement skills. The authors hypothesized that matching a medical student’s preferred learning style with the instructor’s teaching style would increase the success of placing an IV catheter.MethodsUsing the VARK model (i.e., visual [V], auditory [A], read/write [R] and kinesthetic [K]), third-year medical students reported their self-perceived learning style and were subsequently randomized to instructors who were trained to teach according to a specific learning format (i.e., visual, auditory). Success was gauged by: 1) the placement of an IV on the first attempt and 2) the number of attempts made until an IV line was successfully placed.ResultsThe average number of attempts in the matched learning style group was 1.53, compared to 1.64 in the unmatched learning style group; however, results were not statistically significant. Both matched and unmatched groups achieved a similar success rate (57 and 58 %, respectively). Additionally, a comparison of success between the unmatched and matched students within each learning style modality yielded no statistical significance.ConclusionsResults suggest that providing procedural instruction that is congruent with a student’s self-perceived learning style does not appear to improve outcomes when instructing students on IV catheter placement.

Although the results of numerous studies have indicated that providing for the learning styles of students results in marked improvement in behavior and achievement, the results of this study indicate that the relationship between middle level students, their learning styles, their academic success and self–reporting learning style instruments is confusing and tenuous at best. Neither statistical differences nor linear relationships between achievement and learning styles were confirmed and interview data findings indicate students fail to recognize their learning style preferences. It is possible that the traditional classroom does not provide sufficient environmental options to enable students to recognize their learning style preferences. It is also possible that the Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles Inventory may not accurately profile the learning style preferences of middle level students; in fact, the LSI may profile only students' perceptions of appropriate learning behavior.

Background: A learning style is the process by which a learner takes in, focuses on, understands, and retains information. This concept of learning style has got great interest among educators to recognize learning abilities of their student. It is essential to have knowledge of learning method preferred by students and identify them as, visual learner, kinesthetic learner, or aural or read-write type learner. If the information is delivered to student according to their preferred learning style, their learning would be much enhanced. Thus, as a medical educator, it is our task to assess and teach knowledge, attitudes, and skills considering the student interests. Aim and Objective: The purpose of our study was to determine preferred learning styles of physiology undergraduate students of a rural medical college of Maharashtra, India. Materials and Methods: Visual-aural-read/write-kinesthetic (VARK) questionnaire was given to 100 undergraduate medical students. The distributions of VARK preferences were calculated, and the learning style of each student was determined. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the variables. Results: About 76% of students showed multiple learning styles. Among multimodal learners, bimodal learners 56% were highest, trimodal 19%, and then quadmodal learners. The most preferred combination of learning style among bimodal students were auditory kinesthetic (33%). Conclusion: Physiology undergraduate student prefers multimodal learning styles.