learning-styles

Finally, Kolb is concerned about the growing
specialisation in US higher education and does not
want students to be equipped only with the learning
styles appropriate for particular careers. Instead,
he argues for ‘integrative development’, where students
become highly competent in all four learning modes:
active, reflective, abstract and concrete (see Kolb et al.
1986 on integrative learning for managers). So Kolb’s
aim is to produce balanced learners with a full range
of learning capacities, rather than simply matching
instruction to existing learning styles.
Empirical evidence for pedagogical impact
The literature on learning styles contains many
discussions of the significance and relevance of Kolb’s
theory and practical concerns for pedagogy (eg Claxton
and Murrell 1987; Sharp 1997). Unfortunately, that
section of the literature which consists of experimental
studies of the fit between learning styles and teaching
methods is rather small, the size of the samples
is not large, and the findings are contradictory and
inconclusive. Some studies – some negative and others
more supportive – will now be described to give a flavour
of the range. Sugarman, for example, views Kolb’s
theory of experiential learning ‘as a model of effective
teaching’ (1985, 264). She also raises the interesting
question as to whether all courses should begin with
concrete experience as this is the first stage in Kolb’s
learning cycle and he claims that the most effective
learning emanates from personal experiences.
Such a proposal may run up against the expectations
of students, but unfortunately there is no testing of the
idea by Sugarman.
Empirical investigations of the relationship between
learning styles and teaching methods have, however,
produced some surprising findings. McNeal and Dwyer
(1999), for instance, used Kolb’s LSI to ascertain
the learning styles of 154 US nursing students who
were then assigned either to a group where the teaching
agreed with their learning style, or where it did not,
or to a control group. The hypothesis was that teaching
which was consistent with the learning style of the
learners would enhance their learning, but no
significant differences were found in the achievement
of the three groups.
Similarly, Buch and Bartley (2002, 7) administered
both Kolb’s LSI and a new instrument devised
by the authors – the Preferred Delivery Mode
Self-Assessment – to 165 employees in a large
US financial institution. The workers had to choose
between five different teaching methods – computer,
TV, print, audio or classroom. Buch and Bartley’s
review of research into the relationship between
learning style and training delivery mode led them
to hypothesise that accommodators and convergers
would prefer computers, divergers would prefer
classrooms and assimilators would choose print.
The results, however, showed that ‘all learners,
regardless of learning style, prefer the traditional
approach to learning, face-to-face classroom delivery’
(2002, 9). Was this because the workers felt more
comfortable with a teaching method which they
had known since early childhood? Or did they prefer
the classroom to modern technology for social
reasons, or because they did not want to be challenged
by new methods? No definitive answers are provided
by the study.
Another study explored the interesting question:
would knowledge of learning styles and the provision
of ‘prescriptive study strategies’ improve the academic
achievement of adult graduate students? Ehrhard
(2000) explored this hypothesis with 148 students: they
were divided into an experimental group, who were sent
a personalised learning profile and study strategies that
were appropriate for their learning type, and a control
group who received nothing. The scores for the two
groups were similar. So knowledge of learning style
backed up by some supportive advice did not appear,
in this case, to be sufficient to improve learning.
On the other hand, students who were given Kolb’s
theory and LSI as a framework to discuss their learning,
often reported an ‘increased sense of self-esteem
and self-understanding’ (Mark and Menson, quoted
by Claxton and Murrell 1987, 31).
More positively still, Katz (1990) in a quasi-experimental
study of 44 occupational therapy students in the
US and 50 in Israel, hypothesised that students
whose learning styles matched the teaching method
would perform better (ie more effectively) and would
need less time to study outside class (ie more
efficiently). The findings in both countries supported
the premise that ‘the better the match is between
students’ individual characteristics and instructional
components, the more effective or efficient the learning
program is’ (Katz 1990, 233). But even this conclusion
needed to be qualified as it applied only to higher-order
cognitive outcomes and not to basic knowledge.