presented and respondents are required to rank-order four sentence endings
that correspond to the four learning styles. Later, Kolb (1985) refined the LSI
resulting in the LSI-1985 which shows some psychometric improvements.
Learning Styles and Learning Preferences
Rezler and Rezmovic (1981) defined “learning preference” as simply the choice
of one learning situation over another. Kolb (1984) identified a number of
commonly-used learning methods and whether each was helpful to a particular
learning style or not. For example, projects and small-group discussions were
seen as helpful for those classified at the active experimentation end of the
active experimentation-reflective observation dimension, but lectures were not
seen as helpful to their learning. In the same vein, Svinicki and Dixon (1987)
linked a wide variety of specific learning methods with each end of the active
experimentation-reflective observation and concrete experience-abstract conceptualisation dimensions. Ronchetto, Buckles, Barath, and Perry (1992) also
advocated the tailoring of teaching methods in marketing education for students with different learning styles.
Turning to more recent empirical research, Sadler-Smith (1997), in a study
involving 245 business undergraduates, reported some statistically significant,
albeit weak, correlations between scores on the learning style questionnaire
(Honey & Mumford, 1992) and his seven-item learning preference inventory
(LPI). More recently, Sadler-Smith (1999) extended his LPI to 13 items which
reflected three independent factors: active (preference for active and participatory situations such workshops and practical classes), reflective (preference for
Downloaded by [Istanbul Universitesi Kutuphane ve Dok] at 11:00 21 December 2014
102 R. Loo
didactic and self-directed activities), and individual (preference for individual
work). In related work on cognitive styles, Sadler-Smith and Riding (1999)
developed an instructional preferences inventory assessing three areas (instructional methods, instructional media, and assessment methods) with seven
items for each area. Focusing on studies that used Kolb’s learning style
instruments, Gardner and Korth (1998) used LSI scores from 178 firstsemester graduate students to examine the relationships between the four
learning styles and attitudes toward four learning methods (lecture, writing a
paper, reading, and paired one-on-one learning) as well as attitudes toward
group work. Post-hoc paired comparisons (student-Newman-Keuls test)
from their ANOVA revealed some significant effects; for example, assimilators showed a preference for attending lectures and writing papers, and
accommodators preferred group work. Gardner and Korth also presented
a figure listing learning activities targeted for each learning style to assist
instructors.
Based upon a review of the literature (Gardner & Korth, 1998; SadlerSmith, 1997; Sadler-Smith, 1999; Sadler-Smith & Riding, 1999) on learning
styles and preferred learning situations (individual versus group learning) and
activities (for example, writing a term paper), the author developed a 12-item
measure to address the individual and group learning activities typically found
in university programmes, especially business programmes. Appendix 1 presents the 12 items in the actual order used. A five-point response scale was
used ranging from dislike (1) to indifferent (3) to like (5).
The main purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationships
between Kolb’s four learning styles and four learning types on the one hand,
and students’ preferences for 12 specific learning situations on the other hand.
Asecondary purpose was to examine the role of gender in learning preferences.
Another purpose was to examine the factor structure of the 12-item learning
preferences inventory in light of Sadler-Smith’s (1999) finding of a three-factor
structure (active, reflective, and individual) for his 13-item LPI.
đang được dịch, vui lòng đợi..