Identifying the Learning Styles and Instructional Tool Preferences of Beginning Food Science and Human Nutrition Majors

Abstract

Learning styles vary among individuals, and understanding which instructional tools certain learning styles prefer can be utilized to enhance student learning. Students in the introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition course (FSHN 101), taught at the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, were asked to complete Gregorc's Learning Style Delinea-tor™, which identifies dominant learning style(s). In addition, students were asked to complete a survey that asked them to identify which instructional tools used in FSHN 101 they preferred and which they did not. All students, regardless of learning style, preferred the in-class lecture, outlined lecture notes, the WebCT site as a whole, lecture study guide questions, and example exam questions.

Learning Styles of Mexican Food Science and Engineering Students

“…Learning styles and their relationship with the instructional methods to be used were explained in the third class meeting in every class except in Introduction to Engineering Design where learning styles details were clarified in the third week of classes. After those sessions and additional readings (Jung 1971; Kolb 1984, 1985; Gregorc 1985; McCaulley and others 1985; Myers and McCaulley 1985; Stice 1987; Felder and Silverman 1988; Dunn 1990; Herrmann 1990; Pittenger 1993; Wankat and Oreovicz 1993; Hartel 1995; Rosati 1997, 1999; Felder and others 2002; Bohn and others 2004; Felder and Brent 2005), especially the wonderful series “Meet your Students,” which focus on individual dimensions of student differences from Dr. Felder's ILS webpage (available from: http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSpage.html), students discussed their ILS results of the Felder and Silverman (1988) model in their journals and had to explain how their preferences (Sensor – Intuitive, Visual – Verbal, Active – Reflective, Sequential – Global) had influenced their previous learning experiences. ILS results were used, among other aspects, to form base groups (semester student teams) mixing students with different learning styles when forming the groups.…”

“…Some members of the academic community argue that learning style models have no sound theoretical basis and that the instruments used to assess learning styles have not been appropriately validated (Felder and Brent 2005). On the other hand, several studies (Kolb 1984, 1985; Gregorc 1985; Myers and McCaulley 1985; Felder and Silverman 1988; Herrmann 1990; Dunn 1990; Pittenger, 1993; Wankat and Oreovicz 1993; Bohn and others 2004) clearly and consistently describe learning style differences and their effects on student performance and attitudes. Additionally, instruction designed to address a broad spectrum of learning styles has consistently proved to be more effective than traditional instruction, which focuses on a narrow range of styles (McCaulley and others 1985; Rosati 1997, 1999; Felder and others 2002; Zywno 2003; Felder and Spurlin 2005; Felder and Brent, 2005).…”

“…Hartel (1995) discussed the approaches of Kolb (1984, 1985) and McCarthy (1987) to provide food science educators with a range of classroom activities to encompass all styles of learning. Recently, Bohn and others (2004) used Gregorc's Learning Style Delineator™ (Gregorc 1985) to identify the dominant learning styles of beginning food science and human nutrition majors; also, they identified which instructional tools, used in an introductory course, the students preferred and related these preferences to students' learning style.…”