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Running Head: LEARNING STYLES

Learning Styles

Judy A. Compton

EDUC 250

DR. Julie Bilz

February 15, 2017

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Learning Styles

A learning style can be defined as a consistent preference over time and subject matter for

perceiving, thinking about, and organizing information in a particular way. Over the years, quite

a few learning styles have been proposed. For example, visual learners, verbal learners,

assimilators, accommodators, global learners, analytic learners, abstract learners, and concrete

learners. This paper will examine three reflective and impulsivity, field-dependence and field-

independence and mental self-government (Snowman & McCown , 2015 p. 130).

Reflectivity and Impulsivity

Jerome Kagan found some students tend to be impulsive while others tend to be

reflective. An impulsive student responds quickly when asked a question while a reflective

student takes time to reflect over the question before answering. An impulsive student collects

less information, and gives less thought to various solutions than a reflective student does.

Reflective students prefer to spend time to collect information and analyze relevance of

information to the solution before giving a response. Both preferences are useful in a classroom.

Some questions are one answer questions like 2+2 but some questions are more problem-solving

and require more time put into an answer (Snowman & McCown , 2015 p. 131).

Field-dependence and Field-Independence

Herbet Witkin proposed the learning style of field-dependence and field-independence.

The extent to which a person perceives and think about a particular piece of information are

influenced by surrounding content. Field dependent are labeled based on their perception being

strongly influenced by the prevailing field. Filed independent are more successful at targeting
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information despite the fact it is embedded within a larger and more complex context. Few

people exhibit only field-dependent or field-independent style. Field-dependent students take

notes which are more likely to reflect the structure and sequence of idea as presented. A field-

independent student will take notes which reflect on their own ideas of structure and sequence.

Field-independent students are more likely to analyze the structure of story when they read.

When materials and tasks are poorly structured field-independent students perform better

because of a willingness to create a more meaningful structure. A positive effect of field-

independence on achievement is in sciences because of the emphasizes on analyzing objects and

ideas into component parts, reorganizing ideas into new configurations, and identifying potential

new uses of information. Field-dependent students spend more time looking directly at faces of

others, are more aware of prevailing attitudes, values, and behaviors, prefer to be around others,

are more tactful, considerate, outgoing and affectionate(Snowman & McCown , 2015 p. 132).

Mental Self-Government

Robert Sternberg has proposed an interesting learning style based on different functions

and forms of civil government. Thirteen self-governing styles of learning fall into five

categories: functions, forms, levels, scope, and leaning. Legislative, executive, and judicial are

the styles of function. Legislative characteristics are student prefers to formulate rules and plans,

imagine possibilities, and create ideas and products. Executive characteristics include a student

prefers to follow rules and guidelines. Judicial style learners prefer to compare things and make

evaluations about quality, worth and effectiveness. Monarchic, hierarchic, oligarchic, and

anarchic are styles of forms. Monarch learners prefer to work on one task at a time or to use a

particular approach to tasks. Hierarchic learners prefer to have several tasks to work on, deciding

which task to do first. Oligarchic learners prefer to have several tasks to work on, all of which
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are treated equally. Anarchic learners prefer an unstructured, random approach to learning which

is devoid of rules, procedures or guidelines. Global and local are styles of levels. Global learners

prefer to have an overall view of task before beginning work. Local learners prefer to identify

and work on details of a particular part of a task before moving on to another. Internal and

external are styles of scope. Internal learners prefer to work alone. External learners prefer to

work in groups. And liberal and conservative are styles of leanings. Liberal learners prefer to

work out own solutions to problems. Conservative learners prefer to do things according to

established procedures (Snowman & McCown , 2015 p. 132-134).

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References

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2015). psychology applied to teaching (14th ed.). stamford,

CT: cengage learning.