Adult Learning Styles

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the variations of adult learning styles that exist and the fact that the current education system does not adequately meet the needs of the majority of learners. It describes the ways that adult learners are different to child learners. The paper then describes the four styles that David Kolb, a researcher on adult learning, discusses and how they can be applied to a learning situation.

From the Paper:

"There is no doubt in the academics of education today that there are clear variations of learning style. Additionally, there is also a great deal of controversy with regard to the fact that the current education system does not adequately meet the needs of the majority of learners, as very few people have a preferred learning style parallel to the proffered methods used in schools today. The preferred learning style being the rote memorizations style, where a student is expected to listen to information in a classroom setting and then regurgitate this information on some form of test, usually multiple choice. Another issue associated with learning style is that there is very little research associated with specific learning style information in regards to adult learners."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hewitt, R. L. (1995). 10 The Nature of Adult Learning and Effective Training Guidelines. In The Importance of Learning Styles Understanding the Implications for Learning, Course Design, and Education, Sims, S. J. & Sims, R. R. (Eds.) (pp. 161-176). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• Sims, S. J. & Sims, R. R. (Eds.). (1995). The Importance of Learning Styles Understanding the Implications for Learning, Course Design, and Education. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• Tennant, M. (1997). Psychology and Adult Learning. London: Routledge.
• Smith, J.M., Ph.D. (ND) "Adult Learning Styles" website. Accessed April, 19, 2007 at: http://adulted.about.com/cs/learningtheory/a/lrng_patterns.htm

More papers on Adult Learning Styles:

• Research Paper # 112864 : "Adult Learning Styles"
• Article Review # 8951 : "Adult Learning Styles"
• Research Paper # 119967 : "Learning Styles and Online Education"

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