The Influence of Cognitive Learning Styles on the Use of Online Learning Environments

Abstract

Most universities today enhance their classroom teaching and learning with some kind of online learning system or learning/course management system, as it is commonly believed that instructors can better manage their courses and students through the systematic delivery of course material and tight monitoring of student progress and that students learn better at their own pace and with easy access to learning materials and more frequent interaction with fellow learners. However, individual differences among students are always a concern to both educational academics and practitioners. A mismatch between learning styles and instructional methods can create conflicts that affect cognition, affect, and behavior during the learning process. The unified implementation of an online learning system may therefore be less effective for all individual learners than previously thought. To devise more effective institutional implementation strategies in online learning system deployment, a better understanding of the determinants that affect the use of these systems is urgently needed. In this study, the authors review the cognitive learning style scales that have been adopted in previous research and present the results of a seven-year study of the cognitive learning styles of undergraduate freshmen at a local university in Hong Kong. They also discuss the system’s log usage patterns in the first semester in which these students were enrolled. The results identify significant differences between cognitive learning styles and login (F = 32.25, p < 0.001)/download (F = 23.59, p < 0.001) patterns, although no significant differences were found in forum usage. The implications of and possible reasons for these findings are discussed.