research: evaluating learning styles

• hypothesis: presentation of material should match learner’s style

  • rejected - no evidence to prove this

• learners have style preferences, but outcomes are the same regardless of style

why are learning styles so popular?

• people like to fit a type - identity

• people want to be seen as individuals

  • not like everyone else, just like a set of people

  • ‘i’d learn better if this was tailored to me’

individual differences and assessment

• people have study preferences

  • predict the choices students make when choices are given

• desirable differences

• need to distinguish preferences from aptitudes (academic ability to learn)

• we have differences in prior knowledge that can make using different methods more / less effective

related research

• aptitude-by-treatment interactions

  • hypothesis: high aptitude students do better in loosely structured activities than low aptitude students (not conclusive results)

• personality-by-treatment interactions

  • hypothesis: students w an internal locus of control benefit more from less structured lessons than those w external loc

    • not clear why / which aspects of the lesson

alternatives to iq

• multiple intelligences - howard gardner

  • studied savants

  • instead of general intelligence, we have different strengths and weaknesses

• robert sternburg - triarchic theory

  • analytical: academic, problem solving

  • practical: everyday tasks

  • creative: generating new ideas