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APPENDIX 1

Learning Styles

All students, regardless of culture, have a preferred style of learning. Marsh (2004) cites Dunn’s comment that learning styles are as “individual as a signature” (p.167). However, it is possible to broadly categorise learning styles. Fleming and Mills (1992) suggested four categories that seemed to reflect the experiences of their students. Although there is some overlap between categories, for purposes of our discussion, they are defined as follows.

Visual (V):

This preference includes the depiction of information in charts, graphs, flow charts, and all the symbolic arrows, circles, hierarchies and other devices that instructors use to represent what could have been presented in words. Visual learners learn best by ‘seeing’ information rather than, for example, ‘hearing’ it.

Aural (A):

This perceptual mode describes a preference for information that is "heard." Students with this modality report that they learn best from lectures, tutorials, tapes, and talking to other students.

Read/write (R):

This preference is for information displayed as words. Not surprisingly, many academics have a strong preference for this modality.

Kinaesthetic (K):

Kinaesthetic learners learn best by ‘doing’. These students prefer to see how information operates in the ‘real’ world.

While students often have a preference for one these categories, it is common for students to operate across two or more modes. Similarly, it is common for students to select modes according to context.

The existence of varying styles of learning has a number of implications for teaching and learning. First, students need to identify their preferred learning style (resources for this are provided in the Transnational Student Induction Materials). Second, once identified, students need to be encouraged to use study strategies that complement their preferred learning style (Fleming, 2001). Third, teachers need to be aware that not all students in their classes will be learning in the same way. This means that teachers should attempt to deliver their courses in such a way that helps facilitate the entire range of students’ preferred methods. Learning tasks, for example, can be matched to students’ preferred learning styles. Lecture, tutorial and online delivery can all be adapted to support Visual, Auditory, Read/write and Kinaesthetic learners.

For further information on VARK visit the following website: