ERIC Number: EJ1168302
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Feb
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-8566
EISSN: N/A
An Adult Learner's Learning Style Should Inform but Not Limit Educational Choices
Barry, Margot; Egan, Arlene
International Review of Education, v64 n1 p31-42 Feb 2018
Adult learners are attracted to learning opportunities (e.g. course offers) which seem promising in terms of allowing them to match their choices to their own perceived predispositions. To find out more about their personal learning style, some adult learners may fill in a questionnaire designed by researchers who aim (and claim) to enable both course providers and learners to optimise learning outcomes. The evaluation of these questionnaires measures learning styles using indicators developed for this purpose, but the results are not conclusive and their utility is therefore questionable. This narrative review critically examines some of the research which explores the usefulness of considering students' learning styles in adult education. The authors present a discussion--which remains hypothetical--on why the use of learning styles measures continues to be popular despite the absence of rigorous research findings to support this practice. Factors discussed by the authors include "confirmation bias" (making choices which confirm our prejudices) and "user qualification" (limiting availability to trained users, e.g. psychologists) as well as limited resources and skills in evaluating research, paired with educators' quest to implement evidence-focused techniques. The authors conclude that while learning styles assessments "can" be useful for the purpose of reflection on strengths and weaknesses, they should play a limited role in educational choices.
Descriptors: Adult Learning, Cognitive Style, Adult Education, Interest Research, Test Reliability, Test Validity, School Choice, Test Items
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A