Selected Papers Cognitive Learning Styles and Academic Performance in the Online Learning Environment

Abstract. Individual differences are of concern to both academics and practitioners in the education field. On the one hand, we would like to better understand each individual learner to be able to determine the most effective teaching and learning processes. On the other hand, the recent developments in information technology make if more possible than ever to provide personalized learning modes to individual learners, thus allowing the best match between individual learning styles and appropriate instructional means. Even though it is unnecessary to find an individual instruction method for every individual learner, a mismatch of learning styles and instructional methods can create conflicts that affect cognition, affect, and behavior during the learning process. In this paper, the author reviews the cognitive learning style scales that have been adopted in previous research and presents the results of a four-year long analytical study of the cognitive learning styles of undergraduate freshman at a local university in Hong Kong, as well as the distribution in these styles over the four-year period. A pilot study that identified significant differences between cognitive styles and academic performance (in terms of cumulative GPA) (p < 0.01) is also discussed. A pilot review of courses on an online Interactive Learning Network (ILN) with a high/medium/low degree of usage shows significant differences between cognitive styles and course grades, but no significant relationship between usage of this online learning platform and academic performance. The implications of and possible reasons for these findings are addressed, and plans for a future full-scale study are discussed