Kirschner (2016) makes the case that learning styles and preferences should not dictate teaching methods. He makes a very compelling argument. As the author notes, there is no substantive literature that shows the benefits of adopting teaching methods to learning styles and producing better outcomes. One of his arguments was that people may not prefer what is in fact the best option for themselves. I especially liked his analogy that in terms of foods we may prefer sweet/salty or fried, but as an entire diet it would probably be a poor life choice.
While Kirschner makes some valid arguments, I am still of the belief that there is something to be had of learning styles and preferences. Yes, there isn’t much literature for improved outcomes by focusing on learning styles, but there isn’t any showing worse outcomes either. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for unhealthy foods. While empirical evidence for achievement is lacking, literature on satisfaction and engagement exists. Kelly and Schorger (2002) found that there was a link between learning preferences/traits and student satisfaction. In fact, they found that extroverts were more satisfied with online learning than introverts.
Also one cannot even say that literature on the effect of learning styles on achievement does not exist. Berenson et. al (2008) found emotional intelligence to be a predictor of academic success in online learning, but when coupled with personality types, it became an even stronger variable. A big factor was sociability, which is a quality that is greatly influenced by learning styles.
Even though Kirschner believes that learning styles don’t serve a purpose in facilitating better outcomes, I’m not ready to toss this idea away just yet. There is a lot of literature out there on this topic, which means I have a lot more reading to do.
References
Berenson, R., Boyles, G., & Weaver, A. (2008). Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor for Success in Online Learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 9(2). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/385/1036
Kelly, K. L., & Schorger, J. (2002). Online Learning: Personalities, Preferences and Perceptions (Report No. 143). Missoula, Montana: University of Montana.
Kirschner, P. (2017). Stop propagating the learning styles myth. Computers & Education, 106, 166-171.