Conclusions
This study presented an analysis of learning styles of a sample of Sri Lankan Open University students using the LSI. Results indicate that the program of study is more likely to influence learning style than gender. It could also be assumed that the older students who were employed specifically in the PGDE program were influenced by the type of employment they were engaged in, as well as by the type of program they were enrolled in.
Although the use of the LSI with this population was not incongruent, one of the questions that remains to be answered in order to better understand learning styles is related to the appropriateness of the LSI for this cultural context. It is hoped that the completion of the larger study described earlier will yield more useful information in this regard.
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The authors wish to thank Dr. Buddhi Weerasinghe, Director of the Educational Technology Division, OUSL, for supporting this study, and Mr. S. Somaratne of the Department of Botany, OUSL, for statistical analysis.
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Gunawardena, C.N., Jayatilleke, G. & Lekamge, G.D. Learning styles of the open university students of Sri Lanka. ETR&D 44, 115–120 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02300333
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02300333