Catering for Learner Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools: Insights from the Relationships Between Students’ Learning Styles and Approaches

Purpose: Catering for learner diversity is a key issue in the recent educational reforms in Hong Kong. The present study addresses this issue through an investigation of the relationships between students’ learning styles and approaches to learning in Hong Kong secondary schools. Design/Approach/Met...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hongbiao Yin, John Chi-Kin Lee, Zhonghua Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2020-12-01
Series:ECNU Review of Education
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120911800
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spelling doaj-d97f3d0e0dd14b8a92378e7006b9a9e22020-12-18T01:04:34ZengSAGE PublishingECNU Review of Education2096-53112632-17422020-12-01310.1177/2096531120911800Catering for Learner Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools: Insights from the Relationships Between Students’ Learning Styles and ApproachesHongbiao YinJohn Chi-Kin LeeZhonghua ZhangPurpose: Catering for learner diversity is a key issue in the recent educational reforms in Hong Kong. The present study addresses this issue through an investigation of the relationships between students’ learning styles and approaches to learning in Hong Kong secondary schools. Design/Approach/Methods: A total of 6,054 junior secondary students in Hong Kong responded to a questionnaire consisting of two instruments. A series of confirmatory factor analysis, two-way analysis of variance, and structural equation modeling analysis were conducted. Findings: The results identified three types of learning style among the students which are characterized by a cognitive orientation, a social orientation, and a methodological orientation. Some significant gender- and achievement-level differences were revealed. Compared with the socially oriented learning style, the cognitively and methodologically oriented learning styles were more extensively and strongly related to students’ approaches to learning, even though these students showed a greater preference for the socially oriented learning style. Originality/Value: It is unwise to blindly cater for students’ learning styles in classroom teaching and curriculum design. Teachers should adopt a comprehensive and balanced approach toward the design of curriculum and teaching which not only highlights the congruence between students’ learning styles and teacher’s pedagogy but also integrates the constructive frictions between them into classroom teaching.https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120911800
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Hongbiao Yin
John Chi-Kin Lee
Zhonghua Zhang
spellingShingle Hongbiao Yin
John Chi-Kin Lee
Zhonghua Zhang
Catering for Learner Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools: Insights from the Relationships Between Students’ Learning Styles and Approaches
ECNU Review of Education
author_facet Hongbiao Yin
John Chi-Kin Lee
Zhonghua Zhang
author_sort Hongbiao Yin
title Catering for Learner Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools: Insights from the Relationships Between Students’ Learning Styles and Approaches
title_short Catering for Learner Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools: Insights from the Relationships Between Students’ Learning Styles and Approaches
title_full Catering for Learner Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools: Insights from the Relationships Between Students’ Learning Styles and Approaches
title_fullStr Catering for Learner Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools: Insights from the Relationships Between Students’ Learning Styles and Approaches
title_full_unstemmed Catering for Learner Diversity in Hong Kong Secondary Schools: Insights from the Relationships Between Students’ Learning Styles and Approaches
title_sort catering for learner diversity in hong kong secondary schools: insights from the relationships between students’ learning styles and approaches
publisher SAGE Publishing
series ECNU Review of Education
issn 2096-5311
2632-1742
publishDate 2020-12-01
description Purpose: Catering for learner diversity is a key issue in the recent educational reforms in Hong Kong. The present study addresses this issue through an investigation of the relationships between students’ learning styles and approaches to learning in Hong Kong secondary schools. Design/Approach/Methods: A total of 6,054 junior secondary students in Hong Kong responded to a questionnaire consisting of two instruments. A series of confirmatory factor analysis, two-way analysis of variance, and structural equation modeling analysis were conducted. Findings: The results identified three types of learning style among the students which are characterized by a cognitive orientation, a social orientation, and a methodological orientation. Some significant gender- and achievement-level differences were revealed. Compared with the socially oriented learning style, the cognitively and methodologically oriented learning styles were more extensively and strongly related to students’ approaches to learning, even though these students showed a greater preference for the socially oriented learning style. Originality/Value: It is unwise to blindly cater for students’ learning styles in classroom teaching and curriculum design. Teachers should adopt a comprehensive and balanced approach toward the design of curriculum and teaching which not only highlights the congruence between students’ learning styles and teacher’s pedagogy but also integrates the constructive frictions between them into classroom teaching.
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120911800
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