Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS)

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Evidence · 6 claims (6 for) · 2 studies (1 review, 1 theoretical), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description

A self-report assessment developed by Jan Vermunt to measure higher-education students' processing and regulation strategies, conceptions of learning, and learning orientations.

Components

• Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) measuring four components of student learning patterns: The ILS is the self-report instrument developed by Vermunt (1996, 1998) to measure the four components of student learning patterns on a larger scale: processing strategies (deep, stepwise, concrete), regulation strategies (self-regulation, external regulation, lack of regulation), conceptions of learning, and learning orientations. Its name was kept after the 2004 renaming of 'style' to 'pattern' to avoid confusion, though the authors note Inventory of Learning Patterns would have been a better name. A strong point is that "it was grounded in interview research with the target student population about their learning in natural, real-life settings". (Jan D. Vermunt et al. (2017))

Claims

• Learning patterns relate to contextual factors including teaching strategies, perceptions of the learning environment, and discipline [+W]
• The learning patterns model differs from SRL models by being multi-dimensional, non-normative, and including external regulation and lack of regulation [+W]
• Learning patterns are associated with personal factors (personality, motivation, beliefs, prior education, age, gender); their associations with personality are weak to moderate, indicating learning patterns are not stable traits [+W]
• Cross-country meta-analysis: meaning-directed, reproduction-directed and undirected patterns are universal, while application-directed, passive-idealistic and passive-motivational patterns are context-specific [+W]
• Review of 23 ILS studies since 2004 finds more dimensionality in learning patterns than previously considered [+W]
• Meaning-directed learning is positively related to academic performance while undirected learning is consistently negatively related [+W]

Related Products and Programmes

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Key Sources

• Jan D. Vermunt & Vincent Donche. (2017). A Learning Patterns Perspective on Student Learning in Higher Education: State of the Art and Moving Forward. Educ Psychol Rev 29:269–299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-017-9414-6
• Vermunt, J. D. & Vermetten, Y. J. (2004). Patterns in Student Learning: Relationships Between Learning Strategies, Conceptions of Learning, and Learning Orientations. Educational Psychology Review. https://dspacelibrary.uu.nl/handle/1874/11958

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	product
id	inventory-of-learning-styles-ils
title	Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS)
description	A self-report assessment developed by Jan Vermunt to measure higher-education students' processing and regulation strategies, conceptions of learning, and learning orientations.
status	review
product_kind	assessment
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-19
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

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