Identify Learning Styles Research Articles

Verbal Learning Style as the Least Preferred Learning Style of Students in an Asian Country

Learners develop a preferred way of choosing their learning styles because of their genetic makeup, their particular life experiences, and the demands of their present environment. Hence, the study aimed to determine the learning styles of freshmen students in the language class at Benguet State University, Philippines. Using descriptive - survey method, a questionnaire was used to gather data. It also used the Felder-Solomon Index of Learning Styles (FILS) which consisted of 44 questions designed to identify learning styles of learners. The study showed that their dominant learning style is Visual while Verbal is the least. According to their degree programs, the dominant learning style of the Bachelor in Secondary Education and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students is Sensory while Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Home Economics, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture are all inclined to Visual. Based on the empirical findings and conclusions of the study, the researcher recommends that teachers should devise classroom activities suited for the students' learning styles focusing more on their verbal learning style that will activate their communication skills.

Students’ Voice in Learning Style Assessment: The Innovative Learning Experiences Tool (ILE)

<strong></strong><p>Students who enter higher education have diverse learning needs, andhigher education institutions need to provide for these needs. One way of dealing with this variety of learning needs is to empower students to play an active role in their own learning, by making them aware of their learning styles. Identifying learning styles is an important facet within the learning process. Assessing learning styles could provide students with an opportunity to be reflective, and interrogate how they learn. Students’ learning styles can be assessed by using a learning styles assessment tool. The Innovative Learning Experiences (ILE) which was developed in this study, caters for the students` voice where students reflect on their past and present learning experiences. </p><br /><strong> </strong>

Medida de estilos de aprendizagem para o ensino fundamental

Resumo A presente pesquisa visou levantar evidências de validade relativa à análise da estrutura interna dos itens de uma escala de estilos de aprendizagem, bem como identificar os estilos de aprendizagem desses alunos. Participaram 565 alunos dos 3° ao 9° anos do ensino fundamental público do estado do Paraná. Utilizou-se uma Escala de Avaliação de Estilos de Aprendizagem, com 80 itens, aplicada coletivamente. A análise fatorial, por componentes principais e com rotação varimax, indicou estrutura de quatro Dimensões para a escala. As Dimensões se agruparam da seguinte forma: Dimensão 1 - Condições ambientais e condições pessoais, com 22 itens; Dimensão 2 - Condições sociais, com 11 itens; Dimensão 3 - Condições instrumentais, com 11 itens e Dimensão 4 - Condições de atividade; os itens desta dimensão não se agruparam do modo esperado, por isso novos estudos deverão ser realizados, visando o refinamento do instrumento. As condições ambientais e pessoais foram os estilos predominantes nesta amostra.

An interactive, multi-modal Anatomy workshop improves academic performance in the health sciences: a cohort study.

BackgroundStudents often strategically adopt surface approaches to learning anatomy in order to pass this necessarily content-heavy subject. The consequence of this approach, without understanding and contextualisation, limits transfer of anatomical knowledge to clinical applications. Encouraging deep approaches to learning is challenging in the current environment of lectures and laboratory-based practica. A novel interactive anatomy workshop was proposed in an attempt to address this issue.MethodsThis workshop comprised of body painting, clay modelling, white-boarding and quizzes, and was undertaken by 66 health science students utilising their preferred learning styles. Performance was measured prior to the workshop at the mid-semester examination and after the workshop at the end-semester examination. Differences between mid- and end-semester performances were calculated and compared between workshop attendees and non-attendees. Baseline, post-workshop and follow-up surveys were administered to identify learning styles, goals for attendance, useful aspects of the workshop and self-confidence ratings.ResultsWorkshop attendees significantly improved their performance compared to non-attendees (p = 0.001) despite a difference at baseline (p = 0.05). Increased self-confidence was reported by the attendees (p < 0.001). To optimise their learning, 97 % of attendees reported utilising multi-modal learning styles. Five main goals for participating in the workshop included: understanding, strategic engagement, examination preparation, memorisation and increasing self-confidence. All attendees reported achieving these goals. The most useful components of the workshop were body painting and clay modelling.ConclusionsThis interactive workshop improved attendees’ examination performance and promoted engaged-enquiry and deeper learning. This tool accommodates varied learning styles and improves self-confidence, which may be a valuable supplement to traditional anatomy teaching.

The relationship between learning styles and affinity for concept mapping among graduate nursing students

This pilot study was conducted using a convenience sample of graduate nursing students to explore the relationship between learning styles and the affinity for concept mapping as a tool to understand complex topics. The findings suggested all identified learning styles acknowledged the usefulness of concept mapping in understanding complex concepts. However, although most participants deemed concept mapping as helpful in understanding complex concepts, 90% stated they did not routinely create them when not required to do so.

Towards adaptive open learning environments: Evaluating the precision of identifying learning styles by tracking learners’ behaviours

Open learning represents a new form of online learning where courses are provided freely online for large numbers of learners. MOOCs are examples of this form of learning. The authors see an opportunity for personalising open learning environments by adapting to learners' learning styles and providing adaptive support to meet individual learner needs and preferences. Identifying learning styles of learners in open learning environments is crucial to providing adaptive support. Learning styles refer to the manner in which learners receive and perceive information. In the literature, a number of learning style models have been proposed. The Felder and Silverman Learning Styles Model (FSLSM) has been selected as the most appropriate model for open learning. In previous studies two approaches have been used to automatically identify learning styles based on the FSLSM. These approaches are known as the data-driven method and the literature-based method. In the literature, the literature-based method has been shown to be more accurate in identifying learning styles. This method relies on tracking learners' interactions with the provided learning objects based on a set of pre-determined patterns that help in inferring learning styles. The patterns are monitored based on pre-identified threshold values. This paper aims to apply the literature-based method to open learning environments and introduce the optimal patterns and threshold values for identifying learning styles based on the FSLSM. To achieve this aim, a study was conducted whereby a prototype that simulates the open learning environment was developed and piloted on an undergraduate IT course so that learner behaviour could be tracked and data could be collected. Next, different sets of threshold values from the literature were considered along with some updated threshold values considering the context of open learning environments, and the precision of identifying learning styles was calculated. Eighty-three students participated in the study and used the developed prototype. Precision results from different threshold values presented in the literature along with customised threshold values for this study are reported and analysed in this paper. It is shown that threshold values derived from literature and customised to suit open learning environments provide a high level of accuracy in identifying learning styles. The paper presents the first study of its kind in evaluating threshold values and precision in identifying learning styles based on the FSLSM in open learning environments. The results are promising and indicate that the proposed methodology is efficient in detecting learning styles in open learning environments and useful for developing an adaptive framework.

Proposing a novel approach for classification and sequencing of Learning Objects in E-learning systems based on learning style

Learning is a cognitive activity which differs from person to person and hence needs personalization. When learning is performed online, the system needs to understand various traits of learner and deliver Learning Objects (LO) suitable for them to achieve personalization. Many research works have been developing personalization strategies based on various learner traits such as knowledge level, learner characteristics and preferences. However, there are quite few works which consider the relationship between the learner traits and the attributes of LOs that are defined by major standards. This paper focuses on personalization strategy based on Felder and Silverman learning model and proposes a novel approach for classifying and sequencing learning objects according to the learning styles adhering to IEEE LOM metadata standard. The learning styles of the learners are identified and a fuzzy classification scheme maps the IEEE LOM Metadata to the identified learning styles. A pilot study on the research work is performed and the evaluation of the system has given an encouraging result.

Desarrollo de los niveles de razonamiento geométrico según el modelo de Van Hiele y su relación con los estilos de aprendizaje

El objetivo de artículo fue evaluar la eficacia del modelo de Van Hiele en el avance en los niveles de razonamiento geométrico de los estudiantes de grado 7º de una institución educativa oficial en Córdoba (Colombia) y su relación con los estilos de aprendizaje. El estudio se abordó desde un enfoque cuantitativo de tipo cuasiexperimental, incluyó un test para identificar el nivel de razonamiento geométrico de los estudiantes antes y después de la intervención, la aplicación de una secuencia didáctica acerca de polígonos teniendo en cuenta las fases de aprendizaje según del modelo de Van Hiele, además de un test para identificar estilos de aprendizaje. Para el análisis de resultados se aplicaron las pruebas no paramétrica de Wilcoxon, de Mann-Whitney y chi-cuadrado, disponibles en el software SPSS 17. Se destaca que los estudiantes lograron mejoras significativas en cuanto a los grados adquisición de los niveles 1 y 2 de Van Hiele, luego de la intervención con la secuencia didáctica. Además se encontró, como en estudios anteriores, que el estilo predominante en los grupos fue el reflexivo, sin embargo no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los estilos de aprendizaje y la mejora en los niveles de razonamiento, con lo cual se concluye que el modelo fue eficaz para la mayoría de los estudiantes independientemente de su estilo de aprendizaje.

Importance of Self-Directed Learning

All changes in society always changing living conditions and human activity putting the human face and many other issues that I always require prompt and adequate continuous adaptation to the requirements of modern life, always based on up to date information and the ability to develop behavior flexible in relation to circumstances. Modern man is forced to continuously learn to cope during his life changes that occur in the universe of knowledge, in his professional work, the entire content of life. This research has proposed the views of students on the introduction of a special course in the academic curricula in order to prepare them for lifelong learning, independent learning. Thus were identified reasons why students should attend this course with functions: motivation for learning, identifying learning styles and strategies, setting learning objectives according to their needs, planning, monitoring and assessment of learning, training and development of cognitive skills, motivational and resource management. The research is important because it measures the contribution of students to their own training through the use of self-directed learning guides, their motivation to prepare and develop as individuals capable of facing life alone and successfully obstacles, particularly those related to training.

Identifying Learning Styles in EFL Classroom

Identifying Learning Styles in EFL Classroom

What Can We Learn from Our Learners’ Learning Styles?

This study aims to investigate Korean university-level EFL learners’ learning style preferences. The characteristics of their learning style preferences and implications for effective English learning were examined through the quantitative analysis of 496 subjects’ responses to a learning style survey and their English achievement and term-end performances. The findings indicate that Korean learners’ auditory style preference is noticeable, and visual and individual learning styles are also considered to be primary learning styles, whereas tactile, kinesthetic, and group learning styles are less favored. This suggests that the learners want to learn English with more emphasis on a visual-driven independent style than on an experience-driven collaborative style. Additionally, a majority of the learners tend to maintain or reinforce their preferences throughout the course, and they tend to obtain relatively better English achievement results than learners who substantially change their preferences. In terms of learners’ awareness of their identified learning styles, the findings show that style-aware group performed better than the unaware group. However, any generalization regarding the relationship between learning styles and English achievement or performance should be avoided. Importantly, generalizations regarding ethnic groups’ learning style preferences should be discussed cautiously; instead, learning styles should be discussed relative to the learning context.

Automatic detection of learning styles: state of the art

A learning style describes the attitudes and behaviors, which determine an individual's preferred way of learning. Learning styles are particularly important in educational settings since they may help students and tutors become more self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses as learners. The traditional way to identify learning styles is using a test or questionnaire. Despite being reliable, these instruments present some problems that hinder the learning style identification. Some of these problems include students' lack of motivation to fill out a questionnaire and lack of self-awareness of their learning preferences. Thus, over the last years, several approaches have been proposed for automatically detecting learning styles, which aim to solve these problems. In this work, we review and analyze current trends in the field of automatic detection of learning styles. We present the results of our analysis and discuss some limitations, implications and research gaps that can be helpful to researchers working in the field of learning styles.

Learning Styles of Prospective Mathematics Teachers: Kocaeli University Case

Learning is defined as changes in behaviour through repetition and experience. These changes can come in a variety of forms based on distinctive characteristics of individuals. These distinctive characteristics include intelligence, skills, personality characteristics, and learning styles. This study aims to identify learning styles of prospective teachers, and to determine whether these styles show differences by age and grade level. The study is a descriptive one, conducted in the spring semester in 2011- 2012 academic year. The study group consisted of 155 prospective teachers, 51 of whom were grade one, 46 grade two, 40 grade three, and 18 grade four students, all studying at the Kocaeli University, Education Faculty, Department of Teacher Training in Mathematics at Primary School Level. The “Kolb Learning Style Inventory” was used as the data collection tool. Percentage, frequency and chi-square were used in analysis of the data obtained as a result of the inventory. The study showed that 52.9% of the prospective teachers preferred the “converging”, and 31,61% the “diverging” learning style. It was also seen that the dominant style of learning shows differences by age and grade levels.

Intellectual Style Inventory (ISI): Learning Style Assessment after Cortical Functional Specialization

Background: Many criticisms face theoretical bases and measurement tools used for identifying learning styles. The Intellectual Style Inventory (ISI) introduced in this work provides a new approach for learning style assessment based on cortical functional specialization. The ISI emphasizes the distinct characteristic processes of thinking and perception in each cortical lobe. It adds that the lobe indicating an individual's first preference in thinking may differ from his lobe of first preference in perception. Knowing an individual's preferred cortical lobe in thinking and in perception could help identify his learning style according to his predominant intellectual processes. Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the theoretical assumption after the

The process of creating a learning-teaching style assessment: a checklist for documenting observations and teaching strategies1

Summary.—This paper describes the process of creating an observational assessment designed to identify learning styles of individual children, help teachers, therapists, and parents select optimal strategies for teaching new skills in schools, clinics, and home environments, and evaluate results of the selected intervention strategies to either maintain or modify them. The checklist is organized into sections of learner styles (Visual, Auditory, and Tactile/Kinesthetic), each with two subsections (Behavior Characteristics Observed in School, Clinic, and/or Home Contexts, and Teaching Strategies Recommended). The final section, Interpretation and Recommendations, includes the analyses of results, based on calculation of percentages to indicate strongest learning styles, or to detect Multi-Sensory learners. Planning of a field-test study is described.

Automatic Detection of Learning Styles in Learning Management Systems by Using Literature-based Method

Previous studies showed that automatic approach as a better approach to identify learning style in online learning because it is based on the actual students’ behaviour pattern while learning. However, there are several methods in an automated approach can be used to identify learning styles and literature-based method is said to be practical by using LMS. Therefore the purpose of this study is to identify the learning style based on patterns of behaviour for 20 students who studied Interactive Multimedia course within LMS environment in the context of Malaysian polytechnic student. Patterns of behaviour were analyzed based on literature-based method. The Findings indicate the predicted and ILS learning style are different because it depends on the actual behaviour patterns of students. Therefore, identifying learning styles literature-based method is needed to ensure the measurement is based on actual student behaviour during online learning.

Threshold Value in Automatic Learning Style Detection

Previous studies demonstrate that automatic approach is a better approach to identify learning styles in online learning because it is based on the actual students’ behavior pattern while learning. However, the threshold value for every behavior pattern has to be obtained to identify students’ learning style. The purpose of this study is to determine the threshold value based on patterns of behavior for 20 students who studied the Interactive Multimedia course. Patterns of behaviour were analyzed based on students’ online learning activities log file. The findings indicate that the threshold values are different depending on for the course structure, subject and experience of different students. Therefore, the determination of the threshold needed to ensure the measurement dimensions of online learning is based on actual usage of the investigated features of the course.

Matching of Learning Styles and Teaching Styles: Advantage and Disadvantage on Ninth-Grade Students' Academic Achievements.

The purposes of this study were to identify learning styles of ninth-grade students, to identify teaching styles of four subject teachers, and to compare four academic achievements between different matching conditions of students’ learning styles and teachers’ teaching styles. The research participants comprised of 3,382 ninth-grade students and, related with, 440 teachers obtained from multistage random sampling. The research instruments comprised of the four achievement tests, the Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ), and the Teaching Style Inventory (TSI). The data analyses were employed by the descriptive statistics, One-way ANOVA, and post-hoc comparison by Scheffe method. The main results have showed the closely number of students between 23.74 to 26.11% in each learning style. The biggest groups of Mathematics, Sciences, English, and Thai Language subjects were congruently the Accommodator teachers. The matching types were almost statistically significant and the overall study showed the most advantageous learning style was the Theorist students matching with the Expert and the Facilitator teachers whereas the most disadvantageous learning style was the Realistic students matching with the Personal Model and the Facilitator teachers. Key words: Learning Styles, Teaching Styles, Academic Achievement, Matching of Learning Styles and Teaching Styles.

Nigerian Child Learning Styles: A Teaching Strategy for Achieving Effective Education in Nigeria

This study investigated the Nigerian child learning styles as a teaching strategy for achieving effective education in Nigeria. It was a survey design carried out in 258 public secondary schools in Anambra State. Respondents were made up of 1000 classroom teachers drawn through simple random sampling. Four research questions guided the study. A four-point scale questionnaire containing 28 items, validated by experts in Educational administration/supervision and Educational psychology was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using frequency distribution tables and mean scores. The findings revealed that secondary school teachers in Nigeria possess characteristics of good teaching to a high extent, eight learning styles for effective teaching were identified. The identified learning styles were applied to a low extent and five constraints responsible for the low application were also identified. Recommendations were made included that regular seminars and workshops should be organized to up-date these teachers, especially on the areas of learning styles and their effective application to encourage learners centred education.

Nigerian Child Learning Styles: A Teaching Strategy for Achieving Effective Education in Nigeria

This study investigated the Nigerian child learning styles as a teaching strategy for achieving effective education in Nigeria. It was a survey design carried out in 258 public secondary schools in Anambra State. Respondents were made up of 1000 classroom teachers drawn through simple random sampling. Four research questions guided the study. A four-point scale questionnaire containing 28 items, validated by experts in Educational administration/supervision and Educational psychology was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using frequency distribution tables and mean scores. The findings revealed that secondary school teachers in Nigeria possess characteristics of good teaching to a high extent, eight learning styles for effective teaching were identified. The identified learning styles were applied to a low extent and five constraints responsible for the low application were also identified. Recommendations were made included that regular seminars and workshops should be organized to up-date these teachers, especially on the areas of learning styles and their effective application to encourage learners centred education. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n6p9