Learning styles in secondary vocational education: disciplinary differences

Abstract

This article reports two studies among students in secondary vocational education. The first is an interview study that examines these students' processing strategies, regulation strategies, conceptions of learning, and motivational orientations (reflecting four components that make up a learning style, as found among students in higher education (Vermunt, J. D. H. M. (1992). Learning styles and regulation of learning in higher education—towards process-oriented instruction in autonomous thinking. Amsterdam/Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger)). In the second study, a questionnaire developed on the basis of the interview data was used to investigate systematic relations between these four components, resulting in a description of four learning styles. The disciplinary differences between learning styles are also investigated in this second study. Results indicate strong differences in learning styles between students in different disciplines of vocational study, thereby supporting a domain-dependent viewpoint. A comparison is made between secondary vocational and higher education, practical implications are discussed, and guidelines for future research are given.