The Effects of Learning Styles in Students Cognitive Skills

Review of Related Literatures

An inclusive review of the literature relating to the different studies involving learning styles
and their effects on the different students achievement outcomes in the field of academics,
different learning styles models and theories, and the research on aspect differences such as
gender in relation to learning styles are provided in the following section of this study.

According to Pashler, et al. (2009), the writings that touch on the learning-styles concept in
its broadest sense include several thousand articles and dozens of books. These figures may
seem surprisingly large, but one should keep in mind the sheer number of different schemes or
models of learning styles that have been proposed over the years. Various studies had been
conducted in the field of learning preferences; the interest of the researchers related to this kind
of topic is irrefutable. Furthermore, most of the current educational textbooks embraced the
concept of learning styles.

The Canfield Learning Style Inventory is one well-known instrument for assessing student
instructional preference. Faculties have used the Canfield inventories to ascertain the learning
preferences of their students and to initiate class discussion of learning styles and course
assignments. Although the Canfield Learning Style Inventory (LSI) has not yet been used in
accounting education studies, it has been used in other, related disciplines. For example,
authors have used the Canfield LSI to assess learning style preferences of various college
student groups (Matthews 1994; Ladd and Ruby 1999), educator groups (Pettigrew and Buell
1989; Ladd 1995), and incarcerated adults (Felton 1994). In the most recently published study,
Ladd and Ruby (1999) purported to assess the learning style preferences of international M.B.A.
students.

One of the also well known theories in preferential learning is David Kolbs experiential
learning; McLeod (2010) explained that Kolb's experiential learning theory works on two levels: a
four stage cycle of learning and four separate learning styles. Much of Kolbs theory is concerned
with the learners internal cognitive processes. Kolb states that learning involves the acquisition of
abstract concepts that can be applied flexibly in a range of situations. In Kolbs theory, the impetus
for the development of new concepts is provided by new experiences. Kolb's learning theory
(1974) sets out four distinct learning styles, which are based on a four-stage learning cycle:
Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active
Experimentation.

Yen Lun Su (2012) wrote on his research that many studies have shown differences between
the learning styles of male and female students. Dwyer (1998) reported a significant relationship
between trait/context-communication apprehension and learning-style preferences in women.
Dwyers study recommended removing the hierarchical barriers from classroom organization or
eliminating the sorts of threats that potentially invalidate the learning efficacy of women,
irrespective of course content. Lundeberg et al. (1994) reported significant differences in
confidence between undergraduate men and women in their responses to test items and argued
that these differences were contingent both on learning context and on the domain tested.
The Effects of Learning Styles in Students Cognitive Skills

Bibliographical References

Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2009). Learning Styles Concepts and
Evidence, Association for Psychological Science, (p. 106). Retrieved from
https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/wp-
content/uploads/sites/13/2016/07/Pashler_McDaniel_Rohrer_Bjork_2009_PSPI.pdf

Diaz, D. P., & Cartnal, R. B. (1999). Students' learning styles in two classes: Online distance
learning and equivalent on-campus. College Teaching 47(4), (pp. 130-135). Retrieved
from http://www.c3l.uni-oldenburg.de/cde/support/readings/diaz.htm

McLeod, S., (2010). Kolb - Learning Styles 1-2. Retrieved from

http://cei.ust.hk/files/public/simplypsychology_kolb_learning_styles.pdf

Dr. Yen Lun Su, A., (2012). Relationships between the Learning-style Preferences and the
Characteristics and Academic Performance of Taiwanese College Hospitality Students.
The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning 8(2), (p. 160). Retrieved from
http://www.hraljournal.com/Page/19%20Yen%20Lun%20Su-2.pdf