ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2217-3036

Date of Award

2005

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Administrative and Instructional Leadership

First Advisor

Rita Dunn

Second Advisor

Ralph Terregrossa

Third Advisor

Robert Mangione

Abstract

The purpose of this researcher was to identify learning styles of undergraduate and graduate students in allied health and to examine correlations among identified learning-style scores and students’ gender, ethnicity, and age. The goals were to compare learning-style preferences and provide students, faculty, staff, and administrators with empirical information on student learning. One hundred and fifty-four ethnically diverse students participated in the study. The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) (Dunn & Dunn, & Price, 1996) and Building Excellence (BE) (Rundle & Dunn, 2000) were completed by a sample of 87 students. Correlation analyses confirmed relationships between student learning-styles identified with the PEPS and BE (p<.001). The elements evidenced large effect sizes: (a) sound, (b) light, (c) temperature, (d) intake, (e) time of day/early morning, (f) time of day/afternoon, (g) time of day/late afternoon, (h) time of day/evening, (i) afternoon/late afternoon, and (j) afternoon/evening (p .001). Medium effect sizes: (a) design/seating, (b) peer-team/small group-team, (c) time of day/late morning, (d) mobility, (e) auditory, and (f) tactile/tactile and/or kinesthetic preferences. Small effect sizes: (a) structure, (b) self-pair/alone, and (c) varied/variety. Students demonstrated an inclination for BE elements: Visual Picture, Visual Text, Tactile Kinesthetic, Verbal Kinesthetic, and Analytic over Global Processing. Preference for Structure were identified with the PEPS. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc tests using Tukey’s HSD procedures revealed learning-style characteristics among students. Asian/Pacific Islanders evidenced greater tendencies toward Responsibility/Conformity. Gender related learning-style included female preferences for Auditory learning and male preferences for cooler Temperature, Mobility, Small group and Team learning. The follow-up revealed age related learning-style differences on Structure, Intake, Afternoon, Mobility, Auditory, Seating, and Early Morning. Learners (age 20-39) preferred Auditory and Early Morning over learners (age 40 and over) that preferred Structure, Intake, Afternoon, and Mobility. The findings supported the diversity of learning-style tendencies among students. A follow-up qualitive assessment revealed students’ preference for the globally formatted, computer-based learning-style instrument due to time-of-day flexibility, descriptive feedback, and immediacy of the feedback. This research may allow allied-health educators to modify instructional techniques to meet varied student needs. Students may be empowered to modify self-study approaches based on individual learning-style preferences.

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