CURRY, Lyn PDF
CURRY, Lyn PDF
CURRY, Lyn PDF
ABSTRACT
In; the past 3 years there has been a resurgence of
interest in learning styles as applied to education generally and to
professions education in particular. For all this activity there are
difficulties preventing significant progress. Chief among these is
the bewildering confusion of definitions surrounding_learning style
conceptualization, and the concomitant-wide variation in the scale of
behavior claimed to be predicted by learning style
conceptualizations. This presentation outlines a technical
reorganization of learning style constructs and proposes an
empirically testable structure encompassing style concepts that have
established psychometric standards. (Author)
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U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
_NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
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Abstract for: An Organization of Learning Styles Theory and Constructs
Introduction
In the past three years there has been a resurgence of interest in learning
particular. This interest stems from those with research interests in learning
course versus a small group style course; others attempt to predict habitual
procedure for all learning acts in which an individual might engage. Needless
psychometric standards.
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Background
during the early 1970's but have unfortunately past from vogue since then due to
pretature; and left the whole field of investigation fragmented and incomplete.
Further; the field was left without clear utility or established connection with
learning styles field we will use the following terms in the manner stated
herd:
environmental stimuli.
2. Learning Style: This term is at present overused and will be avoided in any
of learning.
adaptiag and assimilating information, but this adaptation does not interact
style.
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6. Sep.- concept- about learning: This self concept is the individual's conscious
perception about the way he or she best learns. This affects the choice an
matches his or her learning style to "translate" information from the form
Our review to date has located 47 pertinent citations utilizing various concepts
research baSe and come to positive conclusions about the relationship between
When positive results are found they generally indicate that student
even when the groups must be offered a standard experience, patterns of modal
student. On the one hand some theorists (id. (9,10,11)] believe that this would
clotely as possible.
When negative results are found they are reported to indicate that learning
more usual variables such as IQ (1) . Usually these studies are designed and
conducted in a rigid yet too simple manner that assumes learning style is
students!
way involved learning styles. In most cases the research design is to ditcover
the most common style in various comparison groups. Some of the difference
between the groups is then attributed to the modal style differences. Thus
there was some significant differences between the learning styles of those
applicants, as well as a differentiation between those that did and did not
validity. But since the samples are so large these indications are hard to
reality or utility of this concept. Learning styles indeed may not exist
Description
for acceptability were minimal. There had to be some meaningful data collected,
there was a great deal of overlap and confUSion in the terminology, conceptual
of the written documentatidn about the instruments and extensive discussion with
factors encountered in the outer strata. This three step connection between the
The Outermost layer; and the most observable, will be titled Instructional
Preference. Three of the learning style research groups, regardless of the name
least stable; the most easily influenced level of measurement in the learning
styles arena.
The second level of the learning style onion will be called Information
model. Because this processing does not directly involve the environment we
would expect that measures of this Information Processing Style would be a good
deal more stable than Instructional Preference, and yet still be modifiable by
3)Schmeck and Ribich are all dealing with information processing style concepts
The third and innermost layer of the hypothetical learning style onion
adapting and assimilating information; but this adaptation does not interact
Processing Style" share a concern with the propensity of a student to stick with
or relations among the observable facts. All these measures contain a scale
processing.
within their range; As such there are aspects of each measure that are
closure" (the data gathering phase in problem solving). This issue of time or
amount of detail checking is again reflected in the MacCaully work with the
Myers-Briggs Type Instrument through all four bi-polar scales, particularly the
thinking-feeling scale.
reliability results for these various measures. This type of reliability can be
that the constructs at inner layers will be more stable than those at outer
measures of Information Processing which in turn would be less stable than the
style should be more stable than other levels is supported by examination of the
internal consistencies (Table 2). The average internal consistency for the
cognitive personality level is .86. FOr the Information Processing level it is
(Stritter-Friedtan; ReZler and Tamir). It is certainly true that the time span
across three measures = .79) is significantly lOnger than that measured for any
Information Processing leVel average .71. There is only one measure available
with the researchers involved to locate or produce the missing data, a direCt
Research Question
more closely related than those measured in other layers. 2) Are the three
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layers ordered inclusivity? That is, can the hypothesized central layer
layers?
This seemingly obvious set of questions have not been answered or, to my
knowledgei attempted by learning style theorists for good reason. First, the
statistical tests necessary to approach these questions have not been developed
problems.
The design will be of the following fGrm: 3:9 X a:b [nine measures of
learning style within the three organizational levels of proposed; and a sample
size of "a" size; within "b" blocks of extraneous but important interacting
across a Greco-Latin square to insure that the non-essential order effects are
Analysts
The analysis procedure will examine in each layer the three measures in
Order to observe whether the second, then third measure contribute any
additional information beyond that given by the first measure. In this manner
within each layer a subset of impcItant measures will be constructed. Next, the
measures will be compared between layers taking the scale of the innermost layer
as fundamental.
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collapse the number of constructs and order them from most fundamental, stable
ConcluSion
program of research should unequivocally lay the concept to rest. On the other
hand, should there be some utility and predictability made possible by use of
the various learning style concepts and their measurement, then this power
professional education.
increasing, and it is all but impossible to satisfy any one individual's real
knowledge deficits and experience organize for a group. Thus the demand for
participants.
testing of the claims made for learning style predicting speciality and
professional services will continue for some time in the future. This
valid and reliable form for application in both manpower and educational
studies. If, as is claimed by the present literature, learning styles can help
training
us improve efficiency and effeedveness of manpower decision making and
them
we have the responsibility to develop these measures sufficiently and make
INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT
PREFERENCE INDICATOR
INFORMATION PROCESSING
STYLE
COGNITIVE PERSONALITY
STYLE
1 tY
Measures Test-Retest Sample
Correlations*
I. Instructional Preference
Notes:
2-6
Internal Characteristics
Measures
Consistency*
I. Instructional Preference
(24) Av. = .66 sample = law, business &
1. Stritter; Friedman med students
Range = .52 - .79
(Cronbach ) 4..items = 40
# items/scale = 7-9
# scales = 5
2.L
III. Cognitive Personality-
*Grasha, A.F. and Reichman0 S.W. -- Grasha Reichmann Student Learning Styles
Scales
*Tamir, P., Schiffman, A., Elstein, A.S., Molidor, J.B., Krupka, J.W. --
Cognitive Preference Inventory
*Witkin, H.A., Moore, C.A.; Goodenough, D.R., Cox, P.W. -- Embedded Figures Test
Z. Rezler, Agnes
Learning Preference Inventory
1. Kolb, D.
Learning Style Inventory
1. Witkin, B.A.
Etbedded Figures Test
2. McCaulley, M.
Myers Briggs Type Indicator
3. Kagan, J.
Matching Familiar Figures Test
2 -;
References
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26. Tamir, P., & Cohen, S. Factors that Correlate with Ccignitive Preferences of
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