How to Assess the Research Evidence on Learning Style Theories
Assess the evidence in research on learning style theories by, first, reading the article carefully. Learning style theories can be tested scientifically, using statistics to measure ideas (constructs) about learning styles. Learning style theory research that presents scientific evidence is quantitative, or based in numbers, and should be evaluated according to the quality of the research methods used to produce the evidence. Learning style theory research that uses argumentation and evidence from quantitative studies without using the scientific method is known as qualitative research. Read qualitative articles carefully to evaluate the argumentation. Read quantitative articles to evaluate scientific methodology.
Instructions
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Check the source of the research evidence. Find out whether or not a source is primary, meaning that it is the original source of the information. Check to see whether academic articles on learning style research are peer-reviewed. Peer-reviewed journals contain academic articles that are reviewed by experts in the field. According to Research Connections, peer-reviewed research articles are generally more reliable and of higher quality than articles from journals that are not reviewed by academic peers. Nonetheless, it is still a good idea to assess several other factors about the study.
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Make sure the research article provided on learning styles presents enough information about the study that it can be accurately evaluated. Research articles should contain a description of the population, or group of people, being studied; an explanation of any terms used in the study; a description of the variables being measured; and corresponding statistics, as well as a description of how statistics were analyzed in the study. For example, an article on learning styles and class participation in adult learners would have a population of adult learners as participants in the research. Terms used in the study might include learning style types and the definition of class participation used for the purposes of the study. The study might measure how often students of different learning styles participate in class, depending on which style is being emphasized, providing measured accounts of participatory actions such as hand-raising.
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Assess validity to determine the relevance evidence on learning style theories in research. Validity means that the research was designed to present evidence that was true and that results were measured accordingly. One helpful place to check for validity issues is in the "Conclusion" or "Discussion" section of a paper, where the researchers address any issues that may have interfered with the study's results. Check to see if the results could be attributed to something else (internal validity), if the results can be generalized to other situations and groups of people (external validity) and if the tools used to measure results, such as learning style inventories, are accurate (construct validity). Studies that use measurement methods that have been previously tested in other studies are more likely to have high construct validity, according to Research Connections.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that not all studies can be generalized, such as studies that apply to special populations, such as students with learning disabilities.
