Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between the learning styles of teacher candidates and those of their parents. Relational survey method has been employed to conduct the study. The target group contains 211 novice teachers studying at different teacher training departments of a Turkish university. The Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Inventory and Kolb Learning Style Inventory have been administered to the participants and to their parents. The participants were asked to administer these scales to their parents. Inventories detected to be incomplete were eliminated, and consequently only 33 families’ responses have been evaluated. The parents with a degree from a middle school or above have participated in the study. The data obtained from Kolb Learning Style Inventory suggest that there is no relation between the learning styles of teacher candidates and those of their parents. However, the data set from Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Inventory displays a medium level relation between the learning styles of participating teacher candidates and that of their parents. Additionally, no statistically significant difference has been identified across the learning styles of participants in terms of their regional background and the educational background of their parents. Key words: Learning styles, parents’ learning styles, Kolb and Grasha-Riechmann learning style.
Highlights
Recent studies in learning psychology and educational sciences have yielded findings signifying the role of individual differences during teaching-learning process
Distinct classifications of learning styles within the literature led to grouping these classifications under certain titles, which brings the studies of Curry (1983) and Sadler and Smith (1996) into mind
The inner-most layer of the onion hosts cognitive styles, mid-layer are the styles based on information processing, and the outmost layer of the onion represents those relevant to individual’s learning preferences
Summary
Recent studies in learning psychology and educational sciences have yielded findings signifying the role of individual differences during teaching-learning process. Administered based on individual differences, instruction defines the quality of learning (Jonassen and Grabowski, 1993; Taylor, 2001; Bozkurt and Aydogdu, 2009; Dunn et al, 2009; Hsieh and Dwyer, 2009; Yazicilar and Guven, 2009; Meydan, 2010; Ari and Bayram, 2011; Yilmaz and Orhan, 2011) and contributes positively to students’ development. Learning styles can very well be classified as one of the individual differences identified within teaching-learning process. An instruction carried out in accordance with learning styles may produce positive cognitive (Duman, 2010; Demir and Usta, 2011; Fan and He, 2012) and affective outcomes (Minotti, 2002; Minotti, 2005; Elci, 2008; Gencel, 2008). Research on learning styles has noted these styles as an explanation as to why some students are more successful than others at school (Dunn and Miligram, 1993).
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