Index Of Learning Styles Research Articles

DOES LEARNING STYLE PLAY A ROLE IN COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS COURSE PERFORMANCE?

Only This study represents an analysis of student performance in computer information systems (CIS) courses using the Felder-Silverman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) to examine academic success in CIS courses. For this study, academic success is measured by grades achieved. The ILS measurement scale was self-administered by students enrolled in CIS courses from fall 2008 through spring 2013. Our study found a significant difference between students' grades and learning styles. We also found a significant relationship between students' grades and the Active vs-Reflective index score.

Learning styles and academic performance in Distance Education: a research in specialization courses

Objective – The objective of the study is to identify whether learning styles impact academic performance and online and face-to-face assessment activities in Distance Education. Design/methodology/approach – Learning styles were mapped using the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) of Felder and Soloman (1991). For data analysis, generalized linear models methodology was adopted; the Wald test was used to evaluate the effect of the factors. Theoretical foundation - This research is based on cognitive theory. The model of Felder and Silverman (1988) underlies the ILS of Felder and Soloman (1991), which classifies learning styles into four dimensions: Active / Reflective; Sensory / Intuitive; Visual / Verbal; Sequential / Global. Findings – (i) The predominant profile of the sample consists of the following styles: active, sensory, verbal and sequential; (ii) learning styles impacted academic performance only in the Active / Reflective dimension; (iii) significant differences were found between the mean of online and face-to-face assessment activities only in the Sensory / Intuitive dimension; (iv) the means of online assessment activities are larger in every styles dimensions. Practical implications – Contributions for: (i) professors, as to how to choose and shape teaching strategies, i.e, to adopt teaching techniques that are appropriate to students’ characteristics; (ii) for students, knowing their learning style is important to understand and develop new learning strategies; (iii) educational managers, who can use knowledge about learning styles to structure the LMS with better use of resources and promoting student learning.

A Psychometric Analysis of Reliability and Validity of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS)

Prior literature showed that Felder and Silverman learning styles model (FSLSM) was widely adopted to cater to individual styles of learners whether in traditional or Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL). In order to infer this model, the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) instrument was proposed. This research aims to analyse the soundness of this instrument in an Arabic sample. Data were integrated from different courses and years. A total of 259 engineering students participated voluntarily in the study. The reliability was analysed by applying internal construct reliability, inter-scale correlation, and total item correlation. The construct validity was also considered by running factor analysis. The overall results indicated that the reliability and validity of perception and input dimensions were moderately supported, whereas processing and understanding dimensions showed low internal-construct consistency and their items were weakly loaded in the associated constructs. Generally, the instrument needs further effort to improve its soundness. However, considering the consistency of the produced results of engineering students irrespective of cross-cultural differences, it can be adopted to diagnose learning styles.

The Pattern of Learning Styles among Second Year Students in Business Management and Hospitality Programs at One of The Vocational College in Northern Zone

The purpose of this research is to explore the learning styles of second year students in the Business Management and Hospitality programs at one of the Vocational College in Northern Zone, Malaysia. The sample consisted of 30 students from each program, a total of 60 students. The method of measurement used was questionnaires based on the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) developed by Felder and Silverman (1988) that adduce of 44 items. The items verifying 4 dimensions and 4 sub-scales, namely procession (active / reflective learners), perception (sensing / intuitive learners), input (visual / verbal learners) and comprehension (sequential / global learners). Each of the dimensions contains 11 items. Data were analyzed descriptively using the SPSS 20.0 for Windows. Results from the analysis revealed that overall, the second year students of this college are more dominant in visual (90%) than verbal style for input dimension; active (71.7%) then reflective style for procession dimension; sequential (71.7%) than global style for comprehension dimension and sensing (55%) than intuitive style for perception dimension. Based on the findings, the researchers suggest that the college lecturers should align their teaching approaches, strategies, methods and techniques with the dominant learning styles for each dimension among the students.

Self-efficacy for Learning vs ILS Results in a group of English Learning Bachelor Students

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between learning style preferences and self-efficacy for learning in a group of bachelor students of Tourism Management at the University of Hradec Kralove. This study assessed if the specific learning style preferences of the university students, who took part in the research within lessons of professional English language, were associated with their self-efficacy for learning. The present study was applied in the winter semester of the 2013-14 academic year among first and third year students. The data collection tool includes Felder ́s Index of learning style (ILS) and a research-made questionnaire of English lesson self-efficacy of students. Our results not only showed that there was a significant positive relationship between all of the learning style preferences with academic English lesson self-efficacy of students, but they also provided a good foundation for English language teachers from the Department of Applied Linguistics to design a teaching approach that would address the learning needs of all students.

Developing English Learning Skills in Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment

Enhancing university students’ ability to learn foreign/second language through learning styles preference-based instruction (LSPBI) is the focus of this paper. The Felder-Solomon Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was administered to a group of 223 bachelor students of Tourism Management to detect learning style preferences. Descriptive statistics identified that our students do vary in their preference for particular learning styles with a great variety of learning style preferences. Nevertheless, a large number of students showed mild preference to Visual and Sensing learning styles. Based on the fact that most of the students appear to be visuals and sensors, new relevant study materials were implemented into the professional English language course in BB with the aim to enable students to become more involved, effective and efficient foreign language learners. The latest questionnaire results prove that students highly appreciate and prioritize the innovated study materials in BB.

Measuring the Validity and Reliability of Research Instruments

This paper discussed how the applying of Rasch Model in validity and reliability of research instruments. Three sets of research instruments were developed in this study. The Felder-Solomon Index of Learning Styles (ILS) is essential to find out the learning style abilities of learners. Students’ Perception in Cognitive Dimension (SPCD) was developed to identify student perception toward their cognitive abilities, and Students’ Cognitive Mastery Achievement Test (CMAT) is used to measure student mastery in a particular subject. The study aims to produce empirical evidence of validity and reliability using the Rasch Model. A small survey was conducted on 28 vocational college students enrolled in the Building Construction course. The ILS consists of four constructs, whereas the SPCD and CMAT validate based on three constructs. The value of reliability was based on Cronbach alpha with appropriate values range. The construct validity was analyzed based on the Rasch model with infit and outfit mean square (MNSQ) value. Three experts in the building construction subject examined the content validity of SPCD and CMAT. Assessor agreement can be calculated as percent-agreement. Percent-agreement statistics can be calculated and explained easily. In summary, Rasch Model is suitable to apply in instrument validation process because the concept of item response theory.

Dimension of Learning Styles and Students’ Academic Achievement

Individual learning styles are varying according to the tendency of each individual. An appropriate learning style could help students to achieve good academic record in any subject they learned. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between student achievement and learning style for technical and non technical subject. A total of 288 Diploma student enrolled in Electrical Engineering program participated in this study. Solomon Felder Learning Style Index was distributed to the participants and the Felder and Silverman model was used to interpret the data. Result showed that the electrical engineering students have an active type of learning style for the first dimension, the sensing for the second dimension, visual for the third dimension, and sequence for the fourth dimension. The result showed that there is no significant relationship between the dimensions of learning styles and academic achievement for Electrical Technology subject and only the second dimension has a significant relationship with academic achievement of the Polibriged subject. In conclusion, learning style is not the main factors to enhance students’ achievement, but it can be used to identify the tendency of learning styles possessed by students.

Learning styles and academic achievement among undergraduate medical students in Thailand.

Purpose:This study aimed to explore the associations between learning styles and high academic achievement and to ascertain whether the factors associated with high academic achievement differed between preclinical and clinical students.Methods:A survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students in Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The Index of Learning Styles questionnaire was used to assess each student’s learning style across four domains. High academic achievement was defined as a grade point average of at least 3.0.Results:Of the 1,248 eligible medical students, 1,014 (81.3%) participated. Learning styles differed between the preclinical and clinical students in the active/reflective domain. A sequential learning style was associated with high academic achievement in both preclinical and clinical students. A reflective learning style was only associated with high academic achievement among preclinical students.Conclusion:The association between learning styles and academic achievement may have differed between preclinical and clinical students due to different learning content and teaching methods. Students should be encouraged to be flexible in their own learning styles in order to engage successfully with various and changing teaching methods across the curriculum. Instructors should be also encouraged to provide a variety of teaching materials and resources to suit different learning styles.

Learning Styles: An Overview of the Felder-Silverman’s Model and Measure

Individual differences are of particular concern for educators in the teaching-learning process. Besides physical and social facets, it includes interest, motivation, aptitude, attitude etc. One of the recently focused such facet is learning style. Learning style denotes an individual’s instinctive pattern of acquiring knowledge and processing information. Learning styles are significant to education and curriculum. There are various models and measures of learning styles like Kolb (1984), Honey and Mumford (1982), Sousa’s (1995) Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK), Fleming’s (1995) Visual, Auditory, Read-Write and Kinesthetic (VARK) and Felder and Silverman’s Model (1988). One of the most comprehensive and widely used conceptions is Felder-Silverman’s model of learning styles. The dimensions of this model consist of four continuums known as sensing-intuitive, active-reflective, visual-verbal and sequential-global. Also, the facets of this model are analogous to the facets of other conceptions of learning styles. The learning style dimensions of this model are determined through a scale known as Index of Learning Styles (ILS). This tool has shown ample validity and reliability. In Pakistan, research on learning styles is scarce. Also, there was no evidence of using this model in any research inquiry in the local context. The aim of this paper was to give a detailed description of Felder-Silverman Model and Measure. Similarly, it was planned to report the psychometric features of the ILS. Furthermore, it was also intended to persuade the researchers to use this tool for research.

The Index of Learning Style to Measure and the Student-Centered Learning Strategies to Develop Creativity Competency

The Index of Learning Style to Measure and the Student-Centered Learning Strategies to Develop Creativity Competency

Which Factors Affect Learner Achievement? Analysing the Role of Psychological, Surface Level, Environmental and Learner Effort Variables

<p>The meshing hypothesis of learning styles suggests that matching teaching and learning styles<br />can promote learning experience. In this research, learning styles (psychological variable),<br />gender diversity (surface level variable), learning modes (environmental variable), and<br />learning time (learner effort variable) were integrated in a model in order to explore their<br />pedagogical impacts on learner performance. The investigated learning environments adopted<br />the traditional teaching approach of ‘one-size-fits-all’. Variables of 59 undergraduate students<br />were measured using the Index of Learning Styles (ILS), an academic record, and a log file of<br />Moodle system. Based on the proposed model, the identified hypotheses were quantitatively<br />analysed. Surface level, environmental, and learner effort variables showed to have a<br />significant effect on learner performance. However, the meshing hypothesis could not be<br />proven. This suggests that other variables are more likely to influence achievement than<br />learning styles.</p>

An exploratory trial exploring the use of a multiple intelligences teaching approach (MITA) for teaching clinical skills to first year undergraduate nursing students

The teaching and learning of clinical skills is a key component of nurse education programmes. The clinical competency of pre-registration nursing students has raised questions about the proficiency of teaching strategies for clinical skill acquisition within pre-registration education. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of teaching clinical skills using a multiple intelligences teaching approach (MITA) compared with the conventional teaching approach. A randomised controlled trial was conducted. Participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group (MITA intervention) (n=46) and a control group (conventional teaching) (n=44) to learn clinical skills. Setting was in one Irish third-level educational institution. Participants were all first year nursing students (n=90) in one institution. The experimental group was taught using MITA delivered by the researcher while the control group was taught by a team of six experienced lecturers. Participant preference for learning was measured by the Index of Learning Styles (ILS). Participants' multiple intelligence (MI) preferences were measured with a multiple intelligences development assessment scale (MIDAS). All participants were assessed using the same objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) at the end of semester one and semester two. MI assessment preferences were measured by a multiple intelligences assessment preferences questionnaire. The MITA intervention was evaluated using a questionnaire. The strongest preference on ILS for both groups was the sensing style. The highest MI was interpersonal intelligence. Participants in the experimental group had higher scores in all three OSCEs (p<0.05) at Time 1, suggesting that MITA had a positive effect on clinical skill acquisition. Most participants favoured practical examinations, followed by multiple choice questions as methods of assessment. MITA was evaluated positively. The study findings support the use of MITA for clinical skills teaching and advance the understanding of how MI teaching approaches may be used in nursing education.

Variations and Frequencies in Learning Styles in a Group of Czech English as Foreign Language Learners

In this paper are the authors presenting the results of the Specific Research Project in the frame of which the Feldeŕs learning styles inventory was administered to students who were non-English native speakers. This research is part of one of the authoŕs dissertation which deals with dichotomous learning style preferences and their reflection in teaching professional English at bachelor studies of Tourism Management at Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove. Descriptive statistics identified that participants do vary in their preference for particular learning style with a great variety of learning style preferences. The Index of learning styles (ILS) was installed in BB Professional English language on-line courses and it was distributed among the sample group of 223 students of Tourism Management. The results were used to improve the instructions in the e-course of professional English language in Blackboard learning environment.

Learning Style Dimensions and Professional Characteristics of Academic Librarians

Do librarians with different characteristics, such as type of work responsibilities or age, have different learning styles? The authors analyzed results from over 1,500 responses to a version of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire based on the Felder-Silverman Learning Styles model. This model consists of eight dimensions paired on four scales: Active/Reflective; Sensing/Intuitive; Visual/Verbal; and Sequential/Global. In addition to their scores on the ILS questionnaire, respondents were also asked about demographic and professional characteristics. Statistically significant differences in learning style scores were found to exist between librarians with different types of position responsibilities. In particular, for three out of four scales, catalogers have statistically different learning styles than other librarian groups. Recognition of different learning styles and thoughtful integration of appropriate teaching styles may improve workplace interpersonal communication, enhance professional development and staff training, and strengthen teaching.

An Empirical Investigation of the Relationships between Learning Styles based on an Arabic version of the Felder-Silverman Model

Learning styles vary according to the individual and this diversity is fundamental in terms of teaching as curricula must respond adaptively to the various learning styles of pupils. This study conducts an analysis of an Arabic form of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS), a 44-item questionnaire designed to determine learning styles using the Felder-Silverman learning style model. This study focuses on the interpretation of data derived from the Arabic form of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) to establish correlations between the learning styles of 1024 female students drawn from two specific departments at the King Abdul- Aziz University in Saudi Arabia. The findings, generated by Multiple Correspondence Analysis and cross-validated by correlation analysis, demonstrate a definite link between certain learning styles from opposing dimensions that are considered to be contradictory within the same dimension of learning. The validity and reliability of the Arabic scale was established and compared to the examples reported in the literature. Findings show comparable reliability and factor analysis supports the interdependencies between dimensions and perhaps the constructs they intend to assess. The results of this paper have implications for the design of e- learning tools, materials and sessions in order to adapt to the relationships between learning styles and have a positive impact on the learners themselves and their learning experience

A recommender agent based on learning styles for better virtual collaborative learning experiences

Almost unlimited access to educational information plethora came with a drawback: finding meaningful material is not a straightforward task anymore. Based on a survey related to how students find additional bibliographical resources for university courses, we concluded there is a strong need for recommended learning materials, for specialized online search and for personalized learning tools. As a result, we developed an educational collaborative filtering recommender agent, with an integrated learning style finder. The agent produces two types of recommendations: suggestions and shortcuts for learning materials and learning tools, helping the learner to better navigate through educational resources. Shortcuts are created taking into account only the user’s profile, while suggestions are created using the choices made by the learners with similar learning styles. The learning style finder assigns to each user a profile model, taking into account an index of learning styles, as well as patterns discovered in the virtual behavior of the user. The current study presents the agent itself, as well as its integration to a virtual collaborative learning environment and its success and limitations, based on users’ feedback.

The Reliability and Validity of Felder- Silverman Index of Learning Styles in Mandarin Version

This paper offers a contribution to the validation work on the ILS instrument based on the author’s study of the relationship between learning styles and learning performances in a language learning support system. An analysis on 198 valid questionnaires, collected from Chinese-native undergraduate students in responds to a Mandarin translation of Felder- Silverman Index of Learning Styles, are discussed. The discussion includes internal reliability, inter-scale correlation and construct validity. In the terms of construct validity, the trends of learning style preferences with respect to gender and the field of study are investigated.

Learning styles of first year occupational therapy students studying at a university in South Africa

INTRODUCTION: Occupational therapists by the very nature of their scope of practice have to apply an evolving broad spectrum of knowledge and skills to be able to fulfil their various roles as therapists. In order to understand how occupational therapy students learn, learning style studies have been conducted in various countries. Due to differing terminology used by the various measurement instruments, it is difficult to compare findings to allow for generalisation of the results. The aim of this study was to identify the learning style profiles of first year occupational therapy students at a university in South Africa. These profiles are used to broaden their self-knowledge in order to become socially and professionally well-adjusted therapists that take responsibility for their own continual learning. METHOD: A descriptive study to determine a learning style profile by means of the instrument known as the Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles was undertaken. A convenience sample of 114 first year occupational therapy students between 2009 and 2011 was used. FINDINGS: Results indicated sensing, visual, active and sequential learning styles as the most representative learning styles. The active learning style being the most dominant. CONCLUSION: Occupational therapy students should be encouraged and assisted to determine their own learning styles. Understanding their own learning style profiles may equip students better to fulfil the need to become lifelong learners. Further studies may identify possible changes to this learning style profile due to the changing demographics of occupational therapy students. Key words: Learning styles, occupational therapy students, teaching and learning

The effects of GBL and learning styles on Chinese idiom by using TUI device

AbstractThis study investigated how the integration of a game‐based learning strategy and a tangible user interface (TUI) device improves the learning achievement of fifth‐grade students in studying Chinese idioms. By using the sifting, and sorting, features of Sifteo Cubes, learners, via a gaming situation, manually composed the cubes to the correct idioms, and the system also provided the origins of the idioms, facilitating meaningful learning. A quasi‐experimental non‐equivalent control‐group design was conducted. Both the experimental and control groups were administered a pre‐test and post‐test, the Idiom Learning Performance Test (ILPT), to investigate the variations between the treatment and groups. Furthermore, the Index of Learning Style for Youth (ILSY) survey was administered to determine how different learning styles and learning strategies affect learning achievement. The results showed that, after the CILS was used, the post‐test scores were significantly higher than the pre‐test scores in the experimental group. In addition, the post‐test scores of active and visual learners were higher than the pre‐test scores, and were significantly higher than reflective and verbal learners. The results suggested that the CILS is suitable for active and visual learners. Recommendations for using the CILS and Sifteo Cubes in instruction and further direction research are provided.