Interpreting The Learning Styles Of Traditional And Distance Learning Students

Abstract

The emergence of telecommunication technologies has generated innovative strategies resulting in online education competing for student enrollment.  Learning is no longer restricted by space and time, and has become more reliant on empowerment rather than confinement. This study sought to determine if the use of the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) could be used to determine which learning style(s) best reflect the traditional learner, and which are representative of the distance learning student. The study placed respondents into one of four styles, depending on how they responded to the Inventory: Diverger, Assimilator, Accommodator, and Converger.  The study then compared responses within and between the groups to test for significance. It found that while there was significance between all of the groups except the Accommodator/Converger, the only group which had significance within was the group with the Assimilator style.