Exploring relationships between Kolb’s learning styles and mobile learning readiness of pre-service teachers: A mixed study

Abstract

The aim of this research is to reveal relations between Kolb’s learning styles and mobile learning readiness of pre-service teachers in depth in regard to different variables and identify their mobile learning perspectives. The study group consisted of 352 students enrolled in undergraduate programs in education faculties of different universities in Turkey. The convergent parallel design was used as a mixed method strategy. The survey model, as a quantitative component, was used to describe the present situation and embedded interviews, as a qualitative component, were carried out to deeply reveal pre-service teachers’ perspectives on mobile learning depending on their learning styles. The “Learning Styles Inventory - Version III” as well as the “Mobile Learning Readiness Scale” were administered to participants. ANOVA, Tukey-HSD test and Structural Equation Modelling were used to analyze the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed by the content analysis method. Results suggest that 126 (36%) of the pre-service participating in the study were with the assimilating learning style, 92 (26.29%) participants were with the diverging learning style, 73 (20.85%) were with the converging learning style and 59 (16.85%) were with the accommodating learning style. Furthermore, it was observed that there is a statistically significant relationship between the learning styles of the pre-service teachers and their m-learning readiness. In addition, it was observed that while optimism, self-directed learning and self-efficacy have a strong effect on m-learning; mother education, monthly income, gender, internet use frequency have a moderate effect on m-learning within different learning styles. Qualitative data were also in line with the results of quantitative data. Findings were discussed in light of relevant literature.