How students' learning styles affect academic performance and information assimilation

¶ … Learning Style

Knowledge of learning styles is an indispensable factor for students to devise effective strategies to deal with the increasingly complex demands they face in their academic pursuits. This knowledge helps them to strike an effective balance between their strong points and their weaknesses creating an ideal climate for achieving optimal academic performance. There is no question of doubt that a student's awareness of his learning style would significantly improve his ability to assimilate information and provide him with the right tools necessary for the development of his academic ability to the fullest potential.

We are witnessing a revolutionary change in the field of education and more and more research is focused on identifying and implementing effective teaching practices. 'Learning style' has become an important term in the academic parlance and educational researchers are now focusing more on understanding the implications of the different learning styles and its impact on teaching process and consequently the academic outcome of students. There is now more than ever, the distinct focus on how instruction strategies can affect the ability of students to grasp the subject matter. From the student perspective as well, knowing one's individual style makes it easier to absorb and master new information. Also, since one's interpretation of new things is clearly affected by reliance on one form of sensory input over the other, it is paramount to know one's learning style as one could then adapt the techniques that are best suited for his/her style while approaching any new learning task. Furthermore, assessing one's learning style can also help in understanding the areas in which to focus more and to develop new ways of learning. This in turn would facilitate the assimilation of information more easily and effectively. A brief overview of the different dimensions of learning styles would provide better insight into topic and stress the benefits one could derive from knowing one's own learning style as an important tool to optimize the learning experience.

Learning Styles

Learning styles can be defined as, "characteristic cognitive, affective, and psychological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment" [Richard M. Felder, 2006] It is now well understood that every student has his own approach to studying. The ability to grasp, process and recall information is affected by the student's innate strengths and weaknesses as well as the instructors mode of delivery. When the student's primary modality of learning matches with the instructors teaching strategy it produces the optimum learning environment for him while a mismatch between the teaching and learning styles may result in a less than optimal learning environment for the student.

At the outset, students can be categorized as having one of the following three approaches to learning. First among these are students who happen to have a 'Reproducing Orientation'. Students with such an inclination are more comfortable in memorizing and reproducing the information without any effort for deeper understanding of the subject. In other words, these students take a 'Surface Approach' to learning. Next come those who have a tendency for a deeper appreciation of the subject. They like to ask more questions and know more in depth about the subject. Finally there are students who have a 'Strategic approach' to learning. These students aim at high grades and are willing to take either a surface approach or a deep probe into the subject as it fits the requirement for obtaining higher grades. [Richard M. Felder, 2006, pg 2]

Advantages of Knowing the Learning Style

Now that we have seen the domination of different modalities resulting in different learning styles among students, it is pertinent to understand the implications of such differences in context of their academic performance. Several studies have attested to that fact that only 20% of students learn through their auditory modality while 80% are either visual or kinesthetic. [Donna Walker, pg 16] However, in stark contrast, most of higher education is delivered in the form of lectures as the main teaching method. This, as can be inferred, is not ideal for the vast majority of students who rely on visual or tactile learning styles.

Knowledge about one's learning style can be useful for students to develop new and effective strategies to manage the increasing demands of school, college and other life situations. Learning style also helps students develop confidence in their strengths while at the same time aiding them to better prepare to deal with circumstances that are challenging. Being aware of their natural learning inclinations gives students a headstart in their learning process by helping them create their optimal learning settings. This implies that knowing one's learning style helps to make more effective use of time in learning new skills. Students can employ study techniques that are most conducive to their learning style. For instance, students who are primarily visual learners should seek out 'visual materials', 'ask for demonstrations', 'create charts', 'sketch images', etc. [Marcia L. Conner, 2004, pg 40] This approach complements the innate learning style of students who are primarily visual learners. Similarly students with an auditory inclination would do well to listen to words, 'use words to trigger memories', 'use summary notes', 'read information from books', 'read aloud', etc. these practices are conducive for auditory learners. [Marcia L. Conner, 2004, pg 44]

The idea of different learning skills also helps develop new perspectives among students and encourages them not to give up on tasks just because they appear to be difficult. Students with knowledge of their own learning style, would instead of giving up on any task citing difficulty, attempt the same using alternative learning styles. This helps students develop versatility and confidence in their own abilities. In other words, understanding the personal learning style enables students to better manage their weaknesses by bringing more focus on these areas. Knowing one's learning style could also help in choosing ideal collaborative study partners as well as in choosing the right career decisions.

Conclusion

Knowledge of learning styles is an indispensable factor for students to devise effective strategies to deal with the increasingly complex demands they face in their academic pursuits. While understanding the learning style of the students is a vital tool for instructors to effectively impart education, it is also equally important for the students to be aware of their dominant learning modality. This knowledge helps them to strike an effective balance between their strong points and their weaknesses creating an ideal climate for achieving optimal academic performance. It also helps students adapt to conducive learning methodologies that lead to more effective grasp of the subject, quicker recollection, and improved presentation of learnt information. Though not a panacea for all the educational problems, there is no question of doubt that a student's awareness of his learning style would significantly improve his ability to assimilate information and provide him with the right tools necessary for the development of academic ability to the fullest potential, which is the ultimate objective of imparting education.