 Introduction to Learning Styles Learning styles are stable characteristics of students and are expressed through the interaction of one's behaviors and personality as they approach a learning task (Garger and Guild, 1984). The late Herman A. Witkin, a pioneer in learning styles, defined learning style in process terms. Witkin argued that learning styles are concerned with the form rather than the content of the learning activity. Learning styles refer to individual differences in how we perceive, think, solve problems, learn, and relate to others (Witkin, Moore, Goodenough, and Cox, 1977). Witkin spent much of his academic career developing measures of learning style. Witkin's work concentrated on determining to what extent a person's perception of an item was influenced by the surrounding field in which the item appeared. Witkin wanted to determine if some people saw the tree, while others saw the forest. Witkin's research showed that there were differences in how people perceived discrete items within a surrounding field. People at the one end of the extreme where perception was strongly dominated by the prevailing field were designated "field-dependent." Field-dependent learners see the forest. At the other extreme, people were considered "field-independent", if they experienced items as more or less separate from the field. Whereas field-dependent people see the forest, field-independent learners see the tree within the forest. Since scores on learning style tests form a continuous scale, the terms field-dependent and field-independent reflect a tendency, in varying degrees of strength, toward one end of the extreme (field-dependent) or the other (field-independent) (Witkin et al, 1977). A number of instruments have been developed to measure a person's learning style. One of the easiest to administer, especially in group situations, is the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) (Witkin, Oltman, Raskin, and Karp, 1971). The GEFT is a perceptual test which requires the subject to locate a previously seen figure within a larger complex figure. The GEFT, which is comprised of 18 complex figures, can be administered in 20 minutes and can be quickly scored using answer templates from the test distributor. Subject's scores on the GEFT range from 0 to 18 with the number correct being the score. The national norm on the GEFT is 11.4 correct. The higher the score above the group mean the more the person is considered to be field-independent. Conversely, the lower the score below the group mean the more the person is field-dependent. It must be stressed that learning styles are independent of intelligence. Remember, field-dependence/field-independence is more related to the PROCESS of learning, not the APTITUDE for learning. Both field-dependent and field-independent people make equally good students as well as teachers. Witkin was convinced, based on over two decades of research, that whether one is field-dependent or field-independent influences a person's learning and resultantly has wide application to teaching and learning theory. Not only does a person's learning style influence the way the person learns, but learning style also has implications on how they teach others. Consequently, teachers that are aware of their learning style, as well as the styles of their students, are better able to make sure that any differences between their learning styles will not impede learning. The key to teaching students with different learning styles is the identification of your own learning style as well as your student's styles. |
