A Study On The Relation Between Learning Styles And Students’ Academic Engagement

Abstract

Educational policies and practices pertaining to initial professional formation focus upon the implementation of the student-centered concept. New tendencies regarding quality assurance of educational programs recommend that curricula should contain the most efficient teaching methods, in order to contribute to the formation of students’ professional competences. Specialty literature studies claim that the efficiency and performance of these competences depend largely not only on the course design but also on the learning style as well as on the student’s level of engagement in his/her own learning activity. Students’ academic engagement represents an umbrella term which implies students’ active engagement in the learning activities offered by the training programs. Academic engagement is often linked with good learning outcomes, such university persistence, high level of test achievement etc. The present study proposes to identify the level of academic engagement, the modality of self-regulated learning, as well as the type of relation established between the two constructs with the students of two specializations (technical and social studies). The measuring of constructs is achieved through applying the Inventory of Learning Styles and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. We expect significant differences between the two groups of students in the level of academic engagement and in the modality of self-regulated learning. The implications on the practical educational level of the study refer to the fact that the instructional system should be designed to support the academic engagement and to stimulate the identification of other learning modalities.