Learning Styles -- Academic Performance
There has been a great deal of scholarly research done on how students learn, and how certain learning styles impact the academic outcomes. This paper delves into four scholarly research papers that describe learning styles and the subsequent academic achievements that result from those learning styles.
Deep Learning is Preferable to Surface Learning
Several learning styles were used in a research project involving 273 Social Science students at a British university. The learning styles being rated and observed (part of Vermunt's Inventory of Learning Styles) included "deep learning," "self-regulated learning," "intrinsic motivation," and "constructivist conception of learning." In the research, these four styles of learning were seen as preferable to "surface learning," "teacher-centered learning," "extrinsic motivation," and "objectivist conception of learning" (Boyle, et al., 2003). The most acceptable learning style in terms of the student achieving positive academic gains was "deep learning," which requires the student to " ... understand meaning by working out relationships between concepts, relating new material to previously known information" (Boyle, 268). On the other hand, surface learners tend to use memorization to retain knowledge in the hopes of getting a good grade and later, a good job (Boyle, 268).
Three Approaches...
Gokhale, a. (1995). Collaborative Learning Enhancing Critical Thinking. Journal of Technology Education, 7, 22 -- 31. In the article titled, Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking, the authors are seeking to understand the true effect that technology will have on what is known as collaborative learning. This is where students will work together to increase the overall amounts of comprehension of the subject matter. In this article, researchers wanted to know if
Apa.org). Critical thinking input: Good teachers that truly understand how distracted today's young people are (with technology, etc.) learn how to get the most out of students by combining proven strategies of engagement with scholarship challenges that are both entertaining and compelling to their active minds. B.F. Skinner Historical views of transfer. When something is said to you and it reminds you (without you having to conjure up memories) instantly of something from
Learning Styles and Academic Achievement: Are Parent's Expectations Too High? High school education perhaps is the turning point of adolescence academic life. Within few years, students usually work hard and get involved in emotional conflicts and endeavors to prepare themselves for higher study. High school students and their parents often understand that students have limited time to find out what they want to do later in their life, how they figure
Feedback should also inform the planning of subsequent lessons and activities and come from a variety of perspectives including the student, classmates, and the teacher (Kirkwood, 2000). Problems with this method of instruction occur when expectations are unclear or feedback is ambiguous, sporadic, or overly negative. Classroom behavioral norms must be established and respected. Care must also be taken to protect and support students from undue ridicule and criticism in
Naturally, visual learners do not enjoy reading books as auditory learners would, as written information is mostly processed in the mind's ears rather than by visualizing the text. Finally, a Kinesthetic or Tactile learner will predominantly learn information through touch and movement. In other words, kinesthetic learners would enjoy hands on laboratory session more than a routine class lecture. They also like to simulate events to understand them better.
growing recognition of the changing educational needs of college students, particularly those attending community colleges. In response to this awareness, reform efforts have been implemented in order to meet the needs of students. As reform efforts have been considered, increasing attention has been directed toward assessing the influence of learning styles on academic performance. The term 'learning styles' has been used to refer to the ways in which individuals
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