learning-styles

LSRC reference Section 5
page 58/59
The latter interpretation receives some support
when face validity is considered. The term initiator
does not have the same connotation as the quality
of impulsivity that comes through from the items
in Table 16. Reasoner is not a good match for the quality
of self-efficacy which the items in Table 16 convey,
and analyst does not equate with personal organisation.
The core construct items for implementer in Table 16
are negatively framed and clearly suggest reflection,
which is not necessarily the opposite of practicality.
Correlations with a range of personality measures
are also reported by Jackson as evidence of validity.
These may be summarised as follows: initiators
tend to have high scores on risk taking, dysfunctional
impulsivity and psychoticism; reasoners have few
neurotic worries, are usually happy, purposeful
and confident; analysts tend to have low scores
on psychoticism, they may be ambitious, but tend
to lie; and implementers cannot be clearly identified
by personality tests. These findings are not clear-cut,
providing some support for the hypothesised
constructs, but also suggesting that other theories
and interpretations should be considered, especially
for the reasoner and analyst scales.
Jackson argues that differences in the mean
scores of various occupational groups support the
construct validity of the LSP. This may be the case,
but the argument stands just as well if different
style names (with better face validity) are substituted
for the originals. We might, for example, expect most
engineers and computer people to have a greater
sense of self-efficacy than male warehouse staff.
Predictive validity has so far been studied in only
one ‘real world’ context, a sample of 59 sales staff in
an unnamed blue-chip company. It was found that both
the initiator and analyst scales were low positive
predictors of job performance.
Implications for pedagogy
Most practical applications of the LSP to date have
been in organisational contexts. Jackson sees uses
for it in selection and appraisal, in planning professional
development and team building, and in creating
learning cultures.
There is a positive emphasis in the computer-generated
recommendations for personal development which
result from completing the questionnaire. The feedback
is very detailed and contains suggestions for building
on strengths, dealing with challenging situations
and remedying maladaptive learning. The relevance,
practicality and value of this feedback have yet to
be evaluated.
Jackson sees some learning styles, behaviours and
strategies as being more easily modified than others.
According to 131 raters, the analyst style is the most
conscious in origin, which accords with its theoretical
status as self-regulatory, goal-oriented and ‘interest
maintaining’. The raters thought that the initiator
style is the most instinctive in origin, which suggests
that impulsive, pleasure-seeking behaviour is the
most difficult to change.
Overall, Jackson takes the view that for both individuals
and organisations, it is desirable to build up multiple
strengths, rather than encouraging people to work only
in ways which come most naturally to them.
Conclusions
The LSP is a sophisticated instrument, but has some
relatively weak aspects. The quantity and quality
of statistical data accompanying its first publication
in 2002 is most impressive and Jackson is to be
commended for making it open to scrutiny on the
internet. It is understandable that with such a new
instrument, no published empirical studies by
independent researchers are available at the time
of writing.
However, as indicated above, there are a number
of theoretical, social, managerial and pedagogical
questions which need to be addressed. While certain
small technical adjustments to the LSP are desirable,
there are more fundamental issues concerning its
further development and use. It seems to suffer from
a tension between a priori theorising and lived
experience. Each scale includes a number of rather
loosely associated variables and often the generic
label is not the most appropriate one.
Jackson’s theoretical stance is not rigid, and
it is noteworthy that he does not see a problem
in acknowledging that learning styles are influenced
to varying degrees by biology as well as by experience
and conscious control. By encouraging self-awareness
about preferences, behaviour and beliefs, Jackson
is promoting a positive attitude to personal evelopment.
It is possible that this approach will prove more fruitful
in organisational psychology, education and training
than the many existing commercial applications which
rely on theories of fixed personality traits.