A Multilevel Analysis of Gifted Korean American Students' Characteristics and School Context Effects on Learning Style Preferences

Abstract

This study examined school factors related to the learning style preferences of gifted Korean American students. The Learning Styles Inventory-Ill (LSI, Renzulli, Rizza, & Smith, 2002) and the Ethnic Orientation Scale (EOS) were administered to 407 Korean American students in 30 schools. A Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) with student and school-level variables indicated differences in learning style preferences between gifted Korean American and non-gifted Korean American students on preferences for direct instruction, technology, simulations, projects, and games. School context mediated these learning style differences between students' giftedness and learning styles. Learning is based on students' experiences, culture, gender, genetic codes, and neurological wiring (Tomlinson, 1999). Students may have preferred ways of taking in, processing, internalizing, and retaining information and skills. These are typically referred to as students' learning styles (Dunn & Milgram, 1993). Students' learning styles can dictate how they approach and process tasks. Understanding how students learn is important in planning instructions to assist them to achieve their fullest potential.