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THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INSTRUMENT FOR IDENTIFYING ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY TEACHER LEARNING STYLES
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to develop an instrument for identifying the learning styles of elementary education and secondary education teachers and to analyze those learning styles in terms of the educational level and discipline area taught by the teachers included in the study. The Adult Learning Style Identification Scale was composed of statements representing behavioral characteristics. The instrument was analyzed for content validity and clarity of the items by a panel composed of ten individuals in the fields of learning theory, adult learning, and learning styles. After the instrument was analyzed for content validity and clarity of the items by the panel, a pilot study was conducted. Elementary education and secondary education teachers attending summer session classes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln comprised the population for the study. From the population, a group of 340 teachers who voluntarily completed the Adult Learning Style Indentification Scale comprised the sample. Through factor analysis of the data, six learning styles were identified: Learning Style I (Initiative), Learning Style II (Independence), Learning Style III (Gestalt), Learning Style IV (Dependence), Learning Style V (Ego), and Learning Style VI (Openness). The analysis of the data indicated that different learning styles existed among teachers. There was a significant difference between Learning Style I (Initiative) and Learning Style II (Independence) when categorized by level of education taught. There was no significant difference between Learning Styles III (Gestalt), IV (Dependence), V (Ego), and VI (Openness) when categorized by level of education taught. There was no significant difference between Learning Styles I (Initiative), II (Independence), III (Gestalt), IV (Dependence), V (Ego), and VI (Openness) when categorized by discipline area taught. Demographic data were presented also and analyzed for each of the four categories: levels of educational preparation, sex, age, and years of experience as a teacher. The analysis of variance was used to determine whether there was a significant difference between the scores of teachers in each of the six learning styles dependent upon level of educational preparation, sex, age, and years of experience. There was a significant difference between Learning Styles I (Initiative), II (Independence), and V (Ego) when categorized by level of educational preparation. There was a significant difference between Learning Styles II (Independence) and VI (Openness) when categorized by sex. There was a significant difference between Learning Style V (Ego) when categorized by age. There was a significant difference between Learning Styles I (Initiative) and II (Independence) when categorized by years of experience.
Subject Area
Curricula|Teaching
Recommended Citation
CHRISTENSON, DEBRA JANE PATTON, "THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INSTRUMENT FOR IDENTIFYING ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY TEACHER LEARNING STYLES" (1981). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8203210.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8203210