Exploring the Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis

The implementation of learning styles models in the classroom remains a heavily debated topic in education. Notable problems with utilization of learning styles in the classroom include a lack of empirical research support and potential maladaptive effects on student learning and motivation. The pri...

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Main Author: Ryle, Mary Katherine
Format: Others
Published: TopSCHOLAR® 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2045
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3048&context=theses
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spelling ndltd-WKU-oai-digitalcommons.wku.edu-theses-30482019-10-15T04:42:13Z Exploring the Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis Ryle, Mary Katherine The implementation of learning styles models in the classroom remains a heavily debated topic in education. Notable problems with utilization of learning styles in the classroom include a lack of empirical research support and potential maladaptive effects on student learning and motivation. The primary research questions focused on the presence and quantity of learning styles discussion in the text, which definitions, models, and recommendations were presented, and which of the cited references were based on empirical data. The answers to these questions were compared between educational psychology and introduction to education textbooks. A content analysis of introduction to education (n = 10) and educational psychology (n = 10) textbooks was conducted. Eighty percent of the textbooks included a discussion of learning styles. Half of the textbooks defined learning style as a preference or approach and the other half as an individual process or style. One-fourth of the textbooks recommended matching instructional methods to learning styles. One comparison of text types, the number of empirical references cited in the text, was statistically significant. Given that most textbooks do not recommend matching instructional methods to learning styles, future research should examine the source of teachers’ beliefs that student learning is improved with the matching of learning styles to teaching approach. 2017-07-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2045 https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3048&context=theses Masters Theses & Specialist Projects TopSCHOLAR® learning preferences meshing hypothesis matching hypothesis Child Psychology Cognitive Psychology Educational Psychology Teacher Education and Professional Development
collection NDLTD
format Others
sources NDLTD
topic learning preferences
meshing hypothesis
matching hypothesis
Child Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Educational Psychology
Teacher Education and Professional Development
spellingShingle learning preferences
meshing hypothesis
matching hypothesis
Child Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Educational Psychology
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Ryle, Mary Katherine
Exploring the Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis
description The implementation of learning styles models in the classroom remains a heavily debated topic in education. Notable problems with utilization of learning styles in the classroom include a lack of empirical research support and potential maladaptive effects on student learning and motivation. The primary research questions focused on the presence and quantity of learning styles discussion in the text, which definitions, models, and recommendations were presented, and which of the cited references were based on empirical data. The answers to these questions were compared between educational psychology and introduction to education textbooks. A content analysis of introduction to education (n = 10) and educational psychology (n = 10) textbooks was conducted. Eighty percent of the textbooks included a discussion of learning styles. Half of the textbooks defined learning style as a preference or approach and the other half as an individual process or style. One-fourth of the textbooks recommended matching instructional methods to learning styles. One comparison of text types, the number of empirical references cited in the text, was statistically significant. Given that most textbooks do not recommend matching instructional methods to learning styles, future research should examine the source of teachers’ beliefs that student learning is improved with the matching of learning styles to teaching approach.
author Ryle, Mary Katherine
author_facet Ryle, Mary Katherine
author_sort Ryle, Mary Katherine
title Exploring the Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis
title_short Exploring the Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis
title_full Exploring the Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis
title_fullStr Exploring the Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the Prevalence of Learning Styles in Educational Psychology and Introduction to Education Textbooks: A Content Analysis
title_sort exploring the prevalence of learning styles in educational psychology and introduction to education textbooks: a content analysis
publisher TopSCHOLAR®
publishDate 2017
url https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2045
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3048&context=theses
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