Learning Style, Motivation, Emotional State And Workload Of High Performers

Abstract

This study aims to characterize the learning style, motivation, emotional state, physiological activation and workload of high performers at the beginning of a practical flight training course. Instructor ratings of flight performance, psychophysiological parameters of heart rate and heart rate variability, and self-ratings of workload, emotion and motivation of 61 trainees enrolled on an ab initio flight training course were used for the assessment. The students were assigned to three performance groups based on the instructor ratings: high (N=19), low (N=20) and average (N=22). Data of the high and low performance groups were compared. The results show that high performers perceived the physical demand of the flight task as being lower compared to the low performance group, probably because they performed better and made fewer corrections. In line with this finding, the results also show that effort as perceived by students, was lower in the high performance group as compared to the low performance group. The own performance was rated better in the high performance than by the low performance group. The high performance group scored lower in negative emotions than the low performance group. No significant group differences in motivation, positive emotion and physiological activation were found. However, the results show differences in learning styles of the groups. High performers scored higher on the visual and sensing learning index and lower on the intuitive learning index than low performers. The results will be used to improve the effectiveness of flight instruction by addressing different learning styles.