Samples of engineering and business students at undergraduate, postgraduate and post-experience levels at two UK universities completed the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) (N 5 284) or the (Learning Styles Questionnaire LSQ) (N 5 182) and a biographical data questionnaire.Broad psychological aspects of the two learning style instruments are examined and compared. Psychometric properties of the instruments, including factor structure, internal reliability and inter-scale correlation are analysed. Potential limitations are commented on, in particular those related to the construct validity and relatively low internal reliability of the ILS scales (alpha 5 0.41 to 0.65). These compare with alphas of 0.59 to 0.74 for the LSQ. Relationships between the scales are discussed and a circumplex arrangement of the LSQ is proposed. Proposals for augmenting the circumplex are made.Academic performance results and scores on each of the two instruments are compared. The general lack of signi cant correlations between learning style scores and performance in these samples is discussed.Conclusions are drawn about the disappointing psychometric robustness of the measures, the activity-centred nature of learning styles and the advantages of viewing styles as a circumplex.
Background to the Study
Neurastle Business Si-hool, Unrrwsitj of Northiinibriu at Ncu'cade, Norrhtmlberland Biirlding.Neuiartle upon Tjne NEI 8SZ U K Despite having a good record as a predictor of job performance, biodata is seldom used for the selection of managers. Its infrequent use can be explained in part by noting that traditional biodata prediction models of job performance, developed in one context, do not readily transport into different ones. Organizations wishing to use biodata must first develop and validate such an instrument. As this is only feasible for large organizations, an alternative approach is to develop biodata instruments to predict specific attributes of a person. Such instruments will be more generalizable than those developed to predict a person's job performance. This approach was tested by developing biodata models to predict vocational interest (as measured bv Holland's Self Directed Search-SDS) of a group of likely applicants for managerial jobs. Following factor analysis of the biodata, regression models were developed to predict individuals' scores on the six SDS scales. The models developed predict the criteria well. The findings indicate that biodata is a good predictor of vocacionnl interest of individuals irrespective of their job or organization.
The use of the Person Specification in recruitment and selection
has masked a number of fundamental problems. Reviews existing Person
Specification systems and identifies these problems identified. Proposes
a model of the Specification process which brings together person,
context and selection. Presents an outline of an expert system which
assists the specification process.
Recent developments in e‐commerce and the Web suggest that few businesses in the next decade will remain unchallenged by new technologies. It is our contention that an intranet, appropriately designed, implemented, and managed, provides organisations with a relatively simple and inexpensive means of enhancing organisational learning capability.
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