Exploring students' learning styles in relation to their acceptance and attitudes towards using Second Life in education: A case study in Hong Kong

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' learning styles in relation to their acceptance and attitudes towards using Second Life (SL) as a supporting tool for learning in higher education. A total of 32 undergraduate students taking a course called 'Digital Imaging' participated in the study. The participants were first asked to design their own graphics using a range of digital imaging techniques. They were then asked to share the artwork with peers in SL for discussion and conduct a formal presentation as a professional designer on their design in SL. The Index of Learning Styles (ILS) developed by Felder and Soloman (1994) and the Views about SL questionnaire (VSLQ) designed by the author were used to measure participants' learning styles as well as their acceptance and attitudes towards SL, respectively. Quantitative results derived from the questionnaires were validated by qualitative data collected from a follow-up interview with a sample of participants. Major findings from the study indicate that active learners mostly valued the ease of use and usefulness of SL whereas verbal students were mostly satisfied with the communication and identity features in SL. Besides, the study also identified some practical problems with the use of SL in education including insufficient teaching and learning time, limited mode of communication with instructor and inadequate equipment for running SL.