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The Learning Styles Myth is Thriving in Higher Education
1Swansea University Medical School Swansea, UK.
Frontiers in Psychology
|December 24, 2015
Summary
The widespread belief in learning styles is a neuromyth debunked by research. Despite evidence against it, educational literature overwhelmingly supports learning styles, misleading educators and potentially harming students.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Neuroscience in Education
Background:
- The concept of 'Learning Styles' is a prevalent neuromyth.
- Despite being discredited in research, anecdotal evidence indicates widespread use in education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate why the neuromyth of Learning Styles persists.
- To analyze the research landscape encountered by educators searching for evidence on Learning Styles.
Main Methods:
- Systematic analysis of research literature in ERIC and PubMed databases.
- Focus on papers addressing 'Learning Styles' in Higher Education.
Main Results:
- 89% of recent research papers implicitly or directly endorse Learning Styles.
- VAK and Kolb Learning Styles inventories dominate the literature.
- Educators searching for evidence are presented with a misleading endorsement.
Conclusions:
- The persistence of the Learning Styles myth is fueled by misleading literature.
- This misrepresentation has potentially negative consequences for students and educational research.
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