Learning Style and Performance: A Field Study of IS Students in an Analysis and Design Course

According to Experiential Learning Theory (Kolb, 1984) knowledge is created through the grasping and transforming of experience and students need to traverse a cycle of concrete experience (CE), reflective observation (RO), abstract conceptualization (AC), and active experimentation (AE), in order to learn. Individuals often have a preference for one or more of the four phases, however, producing one of four learning styles: Diverging, Assimilating, Converging, and Accommodating. We assess the importance of learning style for students taking an IS Analysis and Design course. We examine the properties of the Learning Style Inventory (LSI-1999) instrument and then determine whether there is any relationship between learning style and performance in the course (11O words.)