Kolb's Learning Style Inventory and experiential learning theory¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 2 claims (1 for, 1 mixed) · 2 studies (1 review, 1 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Kolb's Learning Style Inventory, derived from experiential learning theory, measures an individual's relative emphasis on four learning abilities: Concrete Experience, Abstract Conceptualization, Active Experimentation, and Reflective Observation. Two combination scores (AC-CE and AE-RO) place individuals into one of four learning mode types: Converger, Diverger, Assimilator, or Accommodator.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Completion of the Learning Style Inventory instrument

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• college students

Target Learning Objectives¶

• identifying individual learning style orientation

Claims¶

• Student learning styles differ significantly by department, particularly on Concrete Experience and Abstract Conceptualization [+W]
• Learning styles measured by Kolb's inventory showed no significant change over one year of varied instruction [~W]

Related Theories¶

• Kolb's four-stage experiential learning model and its four learning style categories
• Experiential Learning Theory
• Kolb's experiential learning cycle and four learning styles

Examples¶

• Effective teaching requires compatibility among teaching style, learning style, content emphasis, and educational environment
• Guide experiential curriculum design with Kolb-derived principles: connect to existing knowledge, honour each learner's experiential base, cycle through experience and reflection, and shift power to the learner

Key Sources¶

• Bue, T. W. (1979). Teaching and Learning Styles in Higher Education: Match or Mismatch? https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED172635