by Stella Chan,
PharmD, PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
You have probably taken a personality test. It might have been as simple five question
online quiz or as involved as the Myers-Briggs personality inventory. Most people are curious learn more about
their personality type. But have you
ever taken a learning style questionnaire?
Everybody has their own learning style, and these questionnaires were
developed to help shed some light on how we best learn. Knowing your learning style can help you learn
more successfully; and as teachers, it is important to help your students understanding
their learning styles. There are a few
different types of surveys out there which provide “insight into the ways
learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the environment in which
learning occurs.”1
First, let’s talk about the different learning styles known
as VAKT (which stands for Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic-Tactile). These learning styles related to how we learn in response to environmental stimuli.2
Visual
learners learn best through interpreting graphics, body language, and
facial expressions during lessons. Visual learners often prefer sitting at the
front of the room to have a clear view of the presenter. And they tend to like diagrams,
illustrated text books, videos, and colorful handouts. Auditory
learners learn best through lectures, discussions, talking things through
problems, and listening to what others have to say. They can interpret the underlying meanings of
speech based on tone, pitch, and speed of the presenter’s voice. Auditory learners also like to record lectures
and listen to them later. Kinesthetic/tactile learners learn best through a hands-on
approach. They may find it hard to sit through
a long lecture without some sort of activity in the middle.
Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (LSI) combines two major cognitive
dimensions: the active-reflective
dimension and the abstract-concrete dimension.3 From these dimensions, Kolb developed four
learning styles: diverger, assimilator,
converger, and accommodator. However,
research has shown that the LSI had low predictive validity and thus, the
Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ) was subsequently developed by Honey and
Munford. Similar to Kolb’s Learning
Style Inventory, the Honey and Munford learning style questionnaire reveals four distinct preferences: Activist, Theorist, Pragmatist, and
Reflector. Honey and Munford believe
that individuals move between the four different preferences depending on the
situation and their level of expertise in the subject, rather than being locked
into one.4 These learning
style tests include not only perception but also information processing rather
than just focusing on the environmental stimuli (such as with the VAKT learning
styles test). Activists are students who enjoy being challenged by new
experiences and being involved in projects with others. Theorists
prefer to think through problems systematically and understand the theories behind
what is being taught. Pragmatists learn best when they are
able to apply what they learn to real life stituations. These students may benefit most from case
studies and discussions about what others have experienced in the real world. Reflectors
learn by observing activities and drawing conclusions about what they see; they
prefer receiving feedback from others and having time to review concepts prior
to applying them.5
Anthony Grasha and Sheryl Reichmann developed the Grasha-Reichmann Learning Style Scales
in 1974 to determine college students' preferences for classroom participation. The questionnaire has a series of statements
that the student can rate from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)
including: “I enjoy discussing my ideas about course content with other
students,” “I can determine for myself the important content issues in a
course,” and “I prefer to work on class related projects by myself.”6 The responses are then tallied up to
determine what preferred social learning preferences the student has: Independent, Dependent, Avoidant,
Participant, Collaborative, and Competitive.
Independent students prefer
to think for themselves and work on their own.
Dependent students generally
only learn what is required of them and look for specific guidelines on what to
do and how to do it. Avoidant types are not enthusiastic
about learning the content and will require a lot of coaxing to complete
activities. Participant students enjoy taking responsibility for getting the
most out of their lesson. Collaborative describes students who
enjoy sharing their ideas and working in groups. Competitive
students learn content in order to achieve a better grade than their peers or
to receive the teacher’s praise.7
There are many questionnaires available that can inform
students about the learning strategies that work best for them. These questionnaires focus on different learning
style preferences and probably yield the best results when a few questionnaires
are used. By figuring out which VAKT
learning style learners are most drawn to, they will understand what type of environmental
stimuli they learn best from. Using
Honey and Munford’s questionnaire, learners will understand how to best process
the content delivered to them. By
utilizing the learning scale developed by Grasha and Reichmann, learners can determine
whether they work best in groups or alone.
By putting all of these learning scales together, students can better
understand how they learn, can select courses that use methods they are more
likely to enjoy, and adjust their study habits to learn most effectively!
References:
- Brown BL. Teaching style vs. learning style. Educational Resources Information Center: Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education; 2003.
- Coffield F, Moseley D, Hall E, et al. Learning styles and pedagogy in post 16 learning: a systematic and critical review. The Learning and Skills Research Centre; 2004 [cited 2015 Oct 9].
- Allinson CW and Hayes J. The learning styles questionnaire: an alternative to Kolb’s inventory? Journal of Management Studies. 1988; 25(3): 269-81.
- Honey P and Mumford A. The learning styles helper’s guide. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd; 2000 (revised edition 2006).
- Mobbs R. Honey and Mumford. University of Leicester. Leicester, UK. [cited 2015 Oct 20]
- Grasha-Reichmann student learning style inventory. Office of Information Technology: Claremont, CA. Claremont Graduate University [cited 2015 Nov 9].
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