Learning Style Inventory Research Articles

Estilo de aprendizagem dos alunos do curso de Ciências Contábeis

Esta pesquisa objetiva identificar o estilo de aprendizagem predominante em alunos do Curso de Graduação em Ciências Contábeis nas modalidades de ensino presencial e EAD em instituições públicas e privadas do Estado da Bahia. Para alcançar os objetivos propostos foi utilizado o Learning Style Inventory (LSI). Os participantes do estudo constituíram-se de 459 alunos do curso de Ciências Contábeis. Na análise estatística dos dados, constatou-se haver predominância do estilo de aprendizagem assimilador, representado por pessoas que aprendem por meio da observação reflexiva e conceituação abstrata. Sendo assim, este estudo contribui para melhoria do ensino aprendizagem em Contabilidade, uma vez que possibilita às instituições envolvidas conhecer o estilo de aprendizagem do aluno e assim, criar mecanismos cognitivos que facilitem o processamento das informações ao mesmo tempo em que permite direcionar sua metodologia levando em consideração o estilo predominante e o estímulo dos estilos secundários.

An Exploration of the Learning Style Among Undergraduate Nursing Students From An Indian Perspective

Individuals' perceptual preference for learning can be identified by using learning style inventories. This provides nurse educators a basis for planning effective and efficient instructional strategies. Objectives:The objective of this study was to determine the dominant learning styles of undergraduate nursing students and also to associate the selected demographic characteristics of undergraduate nursing students and their learning style Method / Design: The present study employed a descriptivecross sectional study design to explore the learning style of undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected using the demographic characteristics proformaand Kolb's Learning Style Inventory version 3.1.The study was conducted at two colleges of Nursing in South India. The sample included 326 undergraduate nursing students who were selected by consecutive sampling technique. Result: The response rate was 95.09% (n=310). Majority(50.3%) of the undergraduate nursing students investigated were of diverging learning style. There was a predominance of diverging learning style throughout the years of Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. Conclusion:The study suggests nurseeducators to identify the learning style of the group and the remediation of teaching strategies to be planned based on the findings.

Musical performance anxiety and the relationship between learning styles and the instrument and singing fields

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between musical performance anxiety, learning styles, and the field of instrument and solo singing music teacher candidates. Musical performance anxiety has been investigated at various musical events, such as performance during exams, singing and playing on stage, or in front of judges for an audition. Many research studies have concluded that in any exam or concert, a high level musical anxiety has a negative effect on the actual performance. While structured learning environments with learning styles have a positive effect on success. Moving from this point, the level of the teacher candidates’ anxiety levels and learning styles and the relationships between these variables have been seen as an important condition to be investigated. The study group of research, where the correlation and causal-comparative approach is used, comprises music teacher candidates (n = 99). The data collection tools of the research are Kenny Musical Performance Inventory and Kolb Learning Style Inventory Version-3. The reliability levels of these measurement tools were found to be significantly higher. As a result of normality analysis, it has proven to be appropriate to use parametric statistical techniques. Descriptive statistics are: frequency, arithmetic means, standard deviation, and minimum-maximum values. To determine the relationship between musical performance concerns and learning styles, field of instrument and solo singing one-way variance analysis, and Welch's F, Scheffe tests were used and, for the relationship between learning modes and musical performance anxiety, Pearson’s correlation was applied. Learning styles and the field of instrument and solo singing values ​​are presented using crosstabs. To determine the effect sizes; Omega squared ω², Pearson r and r2 values ​​were calculated. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the musical performance anxiety of students was at a medium level. The most preferred learning style was found to be assimilating. It was determined that there is an insignificant relation in negative and weak direction between the points of psychological vulnerability and somatic anxiety and abstract conceptualization learning mode. It was found that the level of physiological vulnerability of those in the solo singing field compared to those in the baAŸlama instrument group was significantly higher. The effect size value was determined to be close to the high level. Key words: Musical performance anxiety, stage anxiety, learning style, Kolb learning style, learning mode, instrument, singing, playing.

Analyzing the learning style and study habit of students in the faculty of nursing of Al Jabal Al Gharbi University, Gharyan, Libya

Through learning, everyone becomes educated but learners should have a style to learn and possess a habit that match how they study. These two variables are vital as guide for educators or mentors to come up with such methodology or strategy in promoting quality and effective teaching-learning environment. With this, it is the purpose of this study to investigate the learning style and study habit of students in the Faculty of Nursing, Al Jabal Al Gharbi University, Gharyan, Libya according to their gender, year level and age group. A mixed methods of research was used and the data gathering tool used to assess variables consisted of the Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic (VAK) Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and the Study Habit Inventory utilizing the study attitude inventory (SAI) with four scales known as Motivation, Study Method, Exam Technique and Lack of Distraction. A descriptive design was employed to determine the learning style and study habit of Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) students. Generally, BSN students found to be visual learners and have the motivation as the most scaled study habit. Furthermore, differences on learning style and study habit according to demographic profile vary. Indeed, There is a strong relationship between the learning style and study habit among BSN students of Al Jabal Al Gharbi University, Gharyan, Libya.

Examination of the Roles of Learning Style and Learning Strategy on the Academic Performance of First Year Medical Students

BackgroundA diverse student population can present a challenge when designing a medical educational curriculum to meet the learning needs of all the students. Many factors, such as attendance, use of technology, and student learning style, have been investigated in the hope of predicting medical student performance. Learning style, based on Kolb's learning theory, proposes that learning is a combination of how one approaches a task and responds to the experience, whereas learning strategy measures if deep or surface learning tactics are used when learning new material. While previous studies have categorized medical students’ learning styles and used them to predict performance on standardized exams, there has not been a thorough investigation of how a student's learning style or learning strategy influences his/her academic performance throughout medical school.ObjectiveAssess whether a student's preferred learning style and/or learning strategy influences his/her academic performance throughout the first year of medical school.Hypotheses1) Converging learners, who learn by abstract conceptualization and active experimentation, will perform better in the anatomical sciences compared to other learning styles because these components utilize practical application of knowledge in labs. 2) Surface learners will perform better than deep learners on lab exams because these focus more on recognition and less on conceptualization.MethodsFirst year medical students were recruited for the IRB approved study and took Kolb's Learning Style Inventory 3.1 to determine their preferred learning style: Accommodating (n=9), Assimilating (n=35), Converging (n=26), or Diverging (n=9). Learning strategy was determined using the Modified Archer's Health Professions Motivation Survey, which categorized students as Deep (n=68) or Surface (n=8) learners. Academic performance was measured using scores on graded assignments. Mean scores were compared among Kolb learning style groups using ANOVA & Tukey's HSD to adjust for multiple comparisons. Mean scores were compared among learning strategy groups using two‐sample t‐tests.ResultsResults showed that Convergers performed significantly higher than Assimilators in Development (87.9% vs. 83.3%; p=0.02) and Histology (90.9% vs. 88.2%; p=0.02), but not in other components. There was no significant difference in academic performance between other learning styles. When analyzing learning strategies, surface learners performed better than deep learners in Anatomy overall (87.9% vs. 83.4%; p=0.03), as well as in the Anatomy (89.0% vs. 84.0%; p=0.02) and Neuroscience labs (90.0% vs. 84.2%; p<0.05).ConclusionsInterestingly, learning style and learning strategy are related to academic performance in certain components, but not others. Factors specific to components (e.g., identification vs. integration and level of self‐directed learning) may play a role in why some are affected more than others. Surface learners performed significantly better than deep learners on lab exams, but not on written exams. Since lab exams rely more on identification, a strength of surface learners, this may explain why students performed better. Continuing to explore the relationship between learning style, learning strategy, and academic performance may provide a tool to enhance medical school curricula, help faculty identify at‐risk students and provide interventional tools focused on helping these students succeed.

How do Medical Students Learn at Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies in Jeddah, KSA? Assessment of Student’s Learning Styles

Background: An important preliminary step in learning and teaching planning is the understanding of your learner. This understanding will help in the allocation of instructional methods and curriculum development. Understanding the learner enfolds the understanding of different learner characteristics. One of these characteristics to be is the learning styles. Aim: This study aims to explore learning styles of medical students at Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies (ISNC) and determine the effect of related factors as gender, as well as making recommendations to improve teaching and learning at the College. Subjects and Methods: Barsch Learning Styles Inventory was used to assess the learning styles of the MBBS students at ISNC. A sample size of 550 students has been targeted. The overall response rate was 82.7% (n = 455). Scores have been manually calculated for each student and his/her learning style is indicated based on the inventory manual. Descriptive statistics were applied, and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Visual Learning Style is the common style among the studies sample of students. However, participants were found to use more than one learning styles (two or three styles) for taking in information. There were minor differences between males and females in styles’ prevalence. Those differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The most prevalent learning style is the visual one, which is in agreement with the literature on learning styles. The prevalence of different styles is similar in both males and females.

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Students’ Views On Homework And Their Learning Styles

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between students’ views on homework and their learning styles. The study follows a descriptive survey model. It is also an example of descriptive study in relational screening model. Target population is all first, second, third, and fourth year students who are enrolled in Çukurova University Primary School Classroom Teaching Department. The participants are 443 students who volunteered to fill in the data collection forms used in the study. Of the participants, 90 were first year, 103 were second year, 140 were third year, and 110 were fourth year students. 275 of the students participating in the study were female (62.1%) and 168 were male (37.9%). The data were collected through “Homework Attitudes Scale” developed by Gündüz (2005), Kolb’s Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) which was first examined for its applicability in Turkey by Aşkar and Akkoyunlu (1993), “Homework Purpose Scale”, “Homework Management Scale” and “Personal Information Form” developed by the researcher. No instruments were used to measure students’ academic success levels; their academic success was identified according to the overall mean score obtained from the scores they received from all lessons. Findings show that 141 students (31.8%) preferred assimilating learning style while 133 students (30%) preferred converging learning style. Dominant learning style was found to differ according to grade level and grade point average. The difference in terms of homework attitudes, homework purpose, and homework management scale mean scores was in favour of mostly students who have converging learning style. Besides, there was a significant difference in terms of doing homework on time in favour of students who have converging learning style, and there was a significant difference in terms of coming to class without homework in favour of students who have diverging learning style.

Multidimensional approach to teaching anatomy—Do gender and learning style matter?

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to assess the impact of two teaching interventions (ultrasound and arthroscopy) in a peer teaching (PT) environment on anatomy examination scores and also to examine the influence of gender and learning style on these scores. MethodsWe randomly assigned 484 second year medical students to one of three groups: musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS), arthroscopy (ASC) and control (CON). The MSUS- and the ASC-group attended two additional training sessions in ultrasound or arthroscopy; the CON-group received no additional lessons. Students were asked to complete Kolb's Learning Style Inventory test. We assessed differences in anatomical knowledge (multiple choice (MC) exam) and subjective evaluation with respect to gender and learning style. ResultsThere were no relevant differences between the three groups regarding the MC exam. Acceptance of the peer teaching concept was good. All students preferred ultrasound to arthroscopy and thought that they learned more from ultrasound despite the fact that they rated the instructors as less competent and needed more time to gain in-depth knowledge. There was no significant effect of gender on evaluation results. Arthroscopy was best enjoyed by accommodators according to Kolb's Inventory and least by divergers, who found that they had learned a lot through ultrasound. The improvement in spatial conceptualization was greatest for accommodators and worst for assimilators. ConclusionGender and learning style had no impact on quantitative parameters.Qualitative analysis, however, revealed differences for learning style and further evaluation is warranted to assess the impact on medical education.

The relationship between learning style and parenting style with self-regulated learning in students

Introductoin: Self-regulated learning is a belief that indicates when and how a person learn. The purpose of present research was to investigate the relationship between self-regulated learning and parenting style as well as learning style in students and determine the role of parenting style and learning style in predicting self-regulated learning. Method: In this research, 313 female students were selected as sample using multi-stage cluster sampling. The subjects replied to all the items of Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory (KLSI), Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), and Self-Regulated Learning Interview Schedule (SRLIS) (Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1986). Data are analyzed by using Pearson correlation method and Stepwise Regression Model. Results: The results showed that authoritative parenting style predicts with self-regulated learning variance 0.05 and abstract conceptualization learning style predicts self-regulated learning variance 0.08. Accordingly, among the studied variables, authoritative parenting owns the greatest share in visualizing self-regulation learning. Discussion and Conclusion: The present research emphasizes learning style and parenting style in self-regulated learning process.

Validation of the Reduced Learning Style Inventory in Academic Writing of Foreign Language Learners

The Learning Style Inventory (LSI) developed by David Kolb (1976, 1984) is a comprehensive measure of individual learning style. Despite its wide acceptance for assessing individuals’ learning styles, previous studies on the validation of the LSI and its revised versions have not yielded consistent results. To this end, this study aims to evaluate the reduced LSI that has been recently developed and validated by Manolis, Burns, Assudani, and Chinta (2013) in assessing foreign language learners of academic writing. Specifically, it seeks to investigate whether the factor structure of the reduced LSI found in previous research supports the targeted sample population of undergraduate-level students in a foreign language learning setting. The findings indicate that although the participants’ abstract conceptualization is predictable in academic writing, the three latent constructs found in the modified instrument may not represent an improved version of the LSI. The rationale for why this structure is not supported by the sampled data is discussed.

EEG SUB-BAND SPECTRAL CENTROID FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE RATIO FEATURES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN LEARNING STYLE CLASSIFICATION

Learning styles are critical element in constructivism that facilitates the process of knowledge creation. Conventional methods to evaluate the psychological trait however are exposed to reliability issues which stem from cultural and language barriers. Hence, a new assessment approach based on the resting EEG is proposed. The paper presents a comparative study between EEG spectral centroid frequency and ratio features in learning style classification. A total of 68 university students have participated in the study. Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory has been implemented to establish the control groups. EEG is then recorded from the antero-frontal region and preprocessed for noise removal. Subsequently, the spectral centroid frequency and amplitude features are extracted. The amplitude component is further normalized via the ratio method. Synthetic EEG is implemented for dataset enhancement. In general, separate investigation via k-nearest neighbor classifier has shown that the spectral centroid frequency outperforms the amplitude ratio components. Alternatively, combination of both features concurrently can effectively improve the overall classification performance.

The Learning Styles and Language Learning Strategies of the EFL Students at Tertiary Level

The purpose of this study are to discover the learning styles, and the language learning strategies most preferred, correlation among the variables exists, and the degree of influence each independent variable exerts on the dependent variables. For data collection, the Barsch Learning Styles Inventory and the Strategy Inventory of Language Learning were distributed to 156 students of English at the University of Sriwijaya, Palembang. The results showed that: (1) visual is the most preferred learning style, whereas metacognitive ang effective are the most preferred language learning strategies; (2) certain independent variables have a significant correlation with certain dependent variables, for example, visual with memory, auditory with cognitive, tactile with affective, and semester with compensation; (3) females use a greater variety of language learning strategies than males; and (4) semester has a significant correlation with compensation but not with other strategies

A COMPARATIVE STUDY REGARDING THE LEARNING STYLES OF TURKISH UNDERGRADUATE GEOGRAPHY STUDENTS AND THEIR WESTERN COUNTERPARTS

It has been argued that culture has a significant impact on learning styles. Turkey is one of the nonWestern countries according to studies on the classification of countries based on cultural characteristics. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to compare the learning styles of geography undergraduates in Turkey with the findings of a previous international study in which the learning styles of Western geography undergraduates were assessed. Kolb’s Learning Styles Inventory was used as a measurement tool in order to facilitate this comparison, and 1275 Turkish geography undergraduates studying at eight universities in different geographical regions of Turkey responded to this inventory. The data obtained from the study were analyzed to compare the learning styles with those of Western geography undergraduates. According to the research findings, the assimilating and converging learning styles were favored between Turkish geography undergraduates, while the assimilating learning style was favored between Western geography undergraduates. Similar to Western counterparts, there are significant differences between demographic variables such as age and class of and predominant learning styles of Turkish geography undergraduates within 10 departments.

Students’ Learning Style among Planning Students in Nigeria using Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate students’ learning style preferences among planning students in Nigeria. This is to probe whether the students meet the objectives of the department in achieving overall university philosophy. Methods/ Statistical Analysis: Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (KLSI) as effective tool in understanding students’ learning styles was used to assess students’ learning style. Questionnaire administered among 110, 72 and 84 students of planning department in 200, 300 and 500 levels respectively totalled 266 students. Questionnaire was designed through a discrete scoring system, recognised and grouped students into four discrete groups related with different disciplines of knowledge. The descriptive statistics and correlation were employed for the analysis. Findings: The study tried to validate the university general admission procedure and departmental curriculum. Applications/Improvements: Suggestions were made to improve university admission procedure for planning students.

A Study of EFL College Students’ Learning Styles and Learning Strategies

Research in the area of learning style and strategies in EFL contexts is mostly being conducted in primary schools, junior high schools, or senior high schools. Comparatively fewer studies concentrated on college students’ learning styles and strategy use. In addition, most previous studies adopted Kolb’s (1985) Learning Style Inventory or Reid’s (1987) PLSPQ to measure learners’ learning style preference. Few of them used Felder and Soloman’s (1988) Index of Learning Styles (ILS), which is more concise and easy to be administered in written or computer formats. In order to fill in the void, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between tertiary level EFL college students’ learning styles, and learning strategies. Participants were 109 freshmen, with 79 male and 30 female students. The instruments were Felder and Soloman’s (1988) Index of Learning Styles (ILS) and Schmitt’s (1997) taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA were conducted and the results showed that most of the participants were balanced type of learners on all learning style dimensions. For their use of vocabulary learning strategies, most of the participants used determination and cognitive strategies more frequently than other strategies. Finally, for the effect of learning styles on learners’ strategy choice, ANOVA analyses showed that only active, reflective and balanced types of learners affect their choice in social, memory, and metacognitive strategies. Results showed that students bring to the classroom a great diversity of learning styles, and the best practice for EFL teachers is to offer courses which employ many teaching styles, and to design tasks which help students in developing their learning styles they are weak, and plan their teaching using a balanced teaching approach.

The relationship between learning styles and motivation to transfer of learning in a vocational training programme

Although there is ample research about Kolb's learning styles, few studies have examined their relationship with motivations to transfer, a concept used to assess whether the content and competencies learned through professional training activities are transferred to the workplace context. Ninety-six students (M=24.58 years old; 99% males) from three vocational training institutes participated in laboratory activities at the Renewable Energy Research Institute of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. They completed a self-administered questionnaire that included the Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory; two scales adapted to measure student motivation to transfer their learning from training experiences; and a scale of satisfaction with the activities. A correlation analysis showed positive and moderately strong correlations (r=.708; p<.01) between motivations to transfer and “the relevance of the activities to academic performance”. A discriminant analysis between transfer and learning styles revealed that the “Student training motivation” item resulted in a distinct difference between assimilators and convergers, explaining 97.1% of the model variance (Wilks’ λ=.459; χ2=21.028; Sig.=.002) and classifying 56.4% of the cases. A discussion is presented as to the implications of these results for the theory of learning styles and the ways in which the design of the educational activities described in the study can be improved.

Study of Innovation in Learning Styles of Students in Different Secondary School Branches

Learning, creativity, and innovation are considered as the axis of the activities of all educational and entrepreneurbased institutions. Learning style of students as one of the factors effective in learning and academic progress has always been taken into consideration. By identifying the learning style and rate of creativity of individuals, each style can be a more appropriate teaching method adopted by teachers and also a more correct method of learning by learners. Accordingly, the main goal of the present article is to identify the differences of learning styles of individuals in different academic majors and the rate of the creativity of individuals in each learning style. The present methodology employed in this research is of descriptive-correlational research design. The statistical population consists of all the last-year students at the high school level in the city of Ghaen. The statistical sample consisted of 115 girls and 117 boys selected by classified sampling. Kolb’s learning style inventory and Abedi creativity were used to collect the required data. These two tools are standardized, therefore their validity is verified. On the other hand, the reliability of the Kolb’s inventory and that of Abedi’s creativity were 0.74 and 79.5, respectively. To analyze the data obtained by Chi-square tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pierson covariance and stepwise regression were employed. The results show that there is a meaningful difference between the creativity of the students with diverging and assimilator learning styles. Learning styles of students of different branches are also different. Creativity of the students of Mathematics is more than that of the Humanities and there is also a meaningful negative relation between concrete experiential learning methods and creativity (r=0.702 and p<0.01).

Relationship between Test Anxiety and Learning Styles of Architecture Undergraduates

Learning which starts with birth of human being and continues for a lifelong varies from person to person. It is known that learning style differences is an important factor that affects students’ success which is evaluated by examinations. If a student has high level of test anxiety, he will not get a good grade by choosing wrong answer because of his anxiety and he cannot show expected success level. The most important factor for increasing the success of architecture students who have different learning styles and different level of test anxiety is educating students by finding out differences at their learning styles and level of test anxiety. Therefore, this study aims to determine architecture students’ level of test anxiety and their learning styles. In addition, it is aimed to find out the relationship between learning styles and test anxiety. Besides, the relationship between architecture students’ level of test anxiety and some particular demographical properties (gender, age) are examined. With this context, data were collected from 347 architecture students from Gaziantep University, Zirve University and Hasan Kalyoncu University in 2015-2016 academic year. Learning style Inventory (LSI II) and Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) were used as an instrument for collecting the data. Percentage and frequency tests, crosstabs and Chi-Square hypothesis tests were performed by using SPSS 17 software. As a conclusion of this study, it is determined that there is a significant relationship between learning styles of architecture students and their test anxiety level.

The Relationship of Assertiveness and Locus of Control with Learning Styles of the Physical Education and Sports School Students

The present study have been conducted to investigate Physical Education and Sports School students’ learning style preferences in terms of assertiveness and locus of control to see relationship between and learning style. For this purpose “Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory” translated in Turkish by Askar and Akkoyunlu (1993), “Rathus Assertiveness Scale” which was developed by Rathus A.S. (1973) and “Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale” (1966) which was developed into Turkish by Dag (1990) was administrated to three hundred sixty six Erciyes University School of Physical Education and Sports students. For analysis of the data, Chi-Square test, Spearman correlation analysis and Multiple Linear Regression analysis were used and p<0.05 level of significance was searched. According to our findings, assertiveness between learning style were found low levels, negative and significant relationship. Furthermore, the students who have seen their preferred substantially (37.7%) diverge learning style and learning by the feeling and watching.

Critical Thinking Skills and Learning Styles in Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

Introduction. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education emphasizes the development of critical thinking skills in physical therapy students. Although educators assess knowledge and skills, they do not directly measure the development of critical thinking skills. A student's learning style may affect his or her critical thinking ability. The purpose of this study was to monitor the acquisition of critical thinking skills in entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students as they progress through the curriculum and to examine the relationship between learning styles and the acquisition of critical thinking skills. Subjects. The study sample consisted of 61 students in a DPT program located in the northeast United States. Methods. A repeated measures design was used to study student outcomes on critical thinking across the curriculum over a 2–1/2-year period. Students completed an online version of the Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, version 4 (KLSI) at the beginning of their program. The students completed the HSRT 3 additional times: at the end of their first academic year, at the end of their second summer semester after their first full-time clinical experience, and again at the time of graduation at the completion of the student portion of their program. Results. Results of the repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the composite overall scores on the HSRT indicated a statistically significant increase in composite scores between times 1 and 4. There was also a statistically significant increase in subscale scores in the area of deduction and inference between times 1 and 4. Students’ learning styles were distributed over 7 of 9 learning styles on the Kolb Learning Style Inventory. There was a statistically significant but weak correlation between the learning modes of abstract conceptualization and the combination of abstract conceptualization and concrete experience. Discussion and Conclusion. The HSRT detected statistically significant changes in students’ critical thinking skills over the course of the curriculum that appear to be “clinically” important. Based on normative data, the students started at the lower end of a strong HSRT composite score and improved to the upper end of the strong range. Three of the 5 subscales on the HSRT showed a ceiling effect. The correlation between HSRT scores and abstract conceptualization was significant but weak and warrants further study. Students in a DPT program showed an increase in critical thinking skills at the completion of their program. Learning modes had a significant but weak relationship to critical thinking skills. Various components of the curriculum may be related to these gains. The students in this cohort exhibited a variety of learning styles and had no one predominant style.