Understanding University Students Effective

Learning Styles
A. T. Hettiarachchi, S. Prathakshana, A. P. Marambe, K. Ilangasinghe, A. B. Marambe, SLIIT
Abstract This document gives information about the research conducted by a group of students at Sri Lanka Institute of Information
Technology on effective learning styles of university students. This research identifies learning styles of university students and proposes
suitable learning techniques for each learning style to increase learning productivity and increase information gathering skills of university
students. This paper can be used by anyone to identify their dominant learning style and practice proper and effective learning techniques
to suit their learning style.
Keywords Learning styles, Effective learning, Learning techniques, Auditory learning, Visual learning, Kinesthetic learning, Method of
Loci.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Learning has been defined by many people in various ways.

Most definitions do not cover the whole content and idea of
learning. The most common and accepted definition of learning
is that learning is a reflective activity which enables the learner to
draw upon previous experience to understand and evaluate the
present, so as to shape future actions and formulate new
knowledge. (Abbot 1994) Although learning is a vital part of a
university students career, maximum productivity may not be
achieved if students do not follow an effective learning process.
Consequently, effective learning has been the point of interest of
most educationists. Effective learning has also been defined in
various ways. But the term effective is only applicable as long
as the goals are fulfilled within the expected time period. One of
the most accepted definitions for effective learning is, Effective
learning includes this extra crucial ingredient which actively
involves the student in metacognitive processes of planning,
monitoring and reflecting. (Dennison and Kirk 1990) When
considering the aforementioned definitions, there exists a clear
distinction between Learning and Effective Learning.
II.

Figure 1: Model of a learning process (Dennison and Kirk 1990)

The above figure depicts a graphical equivalent to the

definition of learning mentioned previously. This cycle
highlights the activity in learning (Do), the need for evaluation
(Review), the extraction of the meaning (Learn) and the use of
this information in the future (Apply). (Network 2002).
However, this model does not depict all the elements of a learner
who is engaged in a learning process. But to engage in effective
learning, the cycle in Figure 2 in insufficient. In order to achieve
maximum learning progress, the student should engage in an
extra learning process of learning about learning. (Nisbet and
Shucksmith 1986) The following figure represents the extra cycle
needed to become an effective learner.

LEARNING

The process of learning can be depicted as a cyclic process

that continues throughout the learning period. (Network 2002)
The following figure illustrates one such learning process.

Figure 2: Extra cycle in learning about learning (Dennison and Kirk 1990)

Average Student
Retention rates

constant monitoring whether the approaches are proving effective

to accomplish ones goals. (Briggs and Moore 1993)
5%

Lectures

10%
20%

A. Outcomes of effective learning

Reading
Audio Visual

30%

Demonstration

50%

Discussion

75%
90%

Practice Doing
Teach others

Figure 3: Learning Pyramid (Laboratories n.d.)

This learning pyramid diagram shows an average

students retention rate when engaging in different learning
activities. According to this, only 5% of the subject matter is
retained if the student only attends lectures. The reason for this
low retention rate is that during lectures, no specific student
interaction is involved. Lectures are mostly focused on the
coverage of the subject material during the given time.
Learning activities such as demonstration and discussion
boosts the retention rate to around 50%. During such activities,
the student physically engages in the subject and consequently,
creates auditory, visual and muscle memory on the subject.
Teaching and immediate use of the subject material brings the
retention rate to a maximum of 90%. During this process, the
student tries to synthesize an answer in his/her own way to teach
someone. The brain links the subject material to different aspects
that are already in the memory of the student, thereby hard
wiring it to the memory. (Laboratories n.d.)
Therefore, it is wise to assume that teaching others and
putting the subject material into use should immediately follow
learning.
III.

EFFECTIVE LEARINING

An effective learner is versatile and uses strategies to succeed

in the learning process. This does not mean just using strategies,
but constantly monitoring whether the strategies converge
him/herself towards the goals within the appropriate time. It is
now aware that learning is: an activity of construction, handled
by others and driven by the learners agency. Effective learning
implies all the factors mentioned above at their best, plus the

Following are the expected outcomes of effective learning:

- More connected knowledge
- Wider range of strategies and approaches
- Ability to understand complex ideas
- Increased self direction
- More positive emotions to learning
- More sense of participation in the educational
community
These outcomes are not just consequences of effective
learning, but these results can act as a driving force for students
and increase perseverance in order to succeed in their educational
career. (Dunlosky 2013)
IV.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

This research was conducted to accomplish the following

objectives:
A. To identify different learning styles of university students
Identification of different learning styles in students is vital.
Then only can a student apply effective strategies to comply with
his/her learning style.
B. To propose effective learning techniques to suit each
learning style
All learning styles are not receptive to all existing learning
techniques. Learning techniques are applicable to only a preferred
type of styles. Therefore, it is very important to identify the
effective learning techniques for each learning style.
C. Apply learning methods in our educational career
We, as undergraduate students are in need of certain methods
to ease our educational career. So, we believe that this research
may benefit university students including ourselves in our higher
studies.
V.

LEARNING STYLES

People, usually students have a preferred learning style when

they engage in any form of learning activity. These styles vary
from person to person depending on the various ways their brains
and minds are receptive to the outside world. Learning styles are
categorized based on many aspects. But the most accepted
method of classification is the mode of transferring knowledge
from the outside world. There are three main learning styles

accepted by most educationists namely, Auditory, Visual and

Kinesthetic.
Most students have a dominant learning style out of the
above three styles while others have a combination of two or in
rare cases, all three learning styles. Identifying ones learning
style is very important. This enables the learner to choose learning
techniques that one is more receptive and suites the best. There
are instances where a group of students learning the same subject
in the same way perform differently during exams. The main
reason for this phenomenon apart from the students level of
intellect is the difference of the learning style of the students.
Students who have a learning style matching the teachers
delivery of knowledge may be more receptive to the subject than
others. However, there is no such thing as the best or the worst
learning style, but there are learning types and techniques that are
suitable for ones preferred learning style. (Chapman 1995)
A. Auditory Learning
Auditory learners have a preference of transferring
information through listening to words, sounds and noises. They
are more receptive to learning through their ears. Ears act as the
main portal of receiving information. Auditory learners would
use phrases like, tell me, lets talk it over, etc. They perform
best at a given task after receiving verbal instructions from an
expert. Auditory learners remember what they heard more than
what they saw or what they did while learning. (Technology,
VAK Learning Styles Self - Assessment Questionnnaire n.d.)
B. Visual Learning
As the name implies, visual learners prefer to see and observe
pictures, diagrams, demonstration, displays, handouts, films, flipcharts, etc. in their learning process. They are more receptive to
the outside world through their eyes and gather information best
using graphical media. Its very common for visual learners to use
phrases such as, show me, lets have a look at that, etc. When
assigned to a new task, due to their keen observational skills, they
learn very quickly by watching someone else do it. Visual
learners are more comfortable working with lists and reading
instruction as they have the ability to transform written
information into a graphical form inside their minds.
(Technology, VAK Learning Styles Self - Assessment
Questionnnaire n.d.)

feeling, holding, doing, experimenting, practical hands on

experience, etc. Kinesthetic learners would usually use phrases
such as, let me try and most of the time succeed at completing
a new task by going ahead and trying it out. (Technology, VAK
Learning Styles Self - Assessment Questionnnaire n.d.)
However, as mentioned earlier, no matter how different these
learning styles are from one another, they cannot be graded as
good or bad. The point lies in the preference of the learner to a
specific style. All learning styles can be put to good use once the
learner has identified his/her style and applied effective
techniques and strategies.
VI.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The required data for the research was collected by a survey

with the use of a questionnaire, specifically designed to determine
the dominant learning style of university students (The
questionnaire can be found in the Appendix). The survey was
conducted on the 11th of July 2014 using 114 students studying at
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology and the survey was
limited to SLIIT premises. Students were from different faculties
namely, Engineering, Computing and Business & Management.
A. Questionnaire Format
The questionnaire contained 15 multiple choice questions
and 12 questions were dedicated to determine the dominant
learning style of the subject. Question 1 was to decide the gender
of the subject and Question 2 collected information regarding the
field of study of the student (Engineering, Computing or Business
& Management). The final question (15) was used to retrieve data
about the students grades (high, medium or low).
Each multiple choice question out of the 12 had three entries
which co related to the three aforementioned main learning
styles. These questions were designed by referring various
sources and past research. (Technology, VAK Learning Styles
Self - Assessment Questionnnaire n.d.)

C. Kinesthetic Learning

1) Entry (a): The first entry of each question referred to

visual learning. Most visual learners were expected to select this
choice. This choice contained activities that are connected to sight
and graphical data representation. For example, for question 5,
which was, When I am learning a new skill, I am most
comfortable: a majority of visual learners were expected to go
for entry (a), which was, Watching what the teacher is doing.

This learning style has a relatively different approach from

the other conventional learning methods. Kinesthetic learners
learn best by physically engaging in the learning process. They
have a preference for physical experience such as, touching,

2) Entry (b): The second entry of each question referred

to auditory learning. It was expected that most auditory learners
would select this choice as it related to hearing and verbal
activities such as speaking and listening. For question 5, an

auditory learner was usually expected to go for entry (b) which

was, Talking through with the teacher exactly what Im
supposed to do. Its quite clear that entry (b) reveals the traits
that are distinctive to auditory leaners.
3) Entry (c): The third entry referred to kinesthetic
learning. A majority of kinesthetic learners were expected to
choose this option. Entry (c) had an inclination towards physical
activity when engaging in learning. For the same question, a
kinesthetic learner is expected to choose entry (c) which was,
Giving it a try myself and work it out as I go.
However, it cannot be guaranteed that a visual learner would
select the first entry for all questions or an auditory learner would
go with entry (b) for all the questions. The dominant learning
style of the student is determined by the corresponding entry
mostly used by the student. For example, if a student had selected
entry (b) more than the others, it can be inferred that the dominant
learning style of the student is auditory learning. The same rule
was applied to all the questions when categorizing the students
according to their respective learning styles.
VII.

RESEARCH STATISTICS

Table 1 shows the answers given by the students who took

part in the survey.
TABLE 1: STATISTICS OF THE SURVEY

Question Number
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

(a)
18
40
26
35
56
27
38
14
39
40
46
61
42

(b)
35
57
21
72
11
74
60
66
34
40
52
18
60

Kinesthetic
21%
Auditory
51%

Visual
28%
Figure 4: Percentage of dominant learning styles.

It can be observed from Figure 4 that a majority of students

(51%) are auditory learners. 28% of them are visual learners and
only 21% are kinesthetic learners. When compared to past
research on this subject, it can be seen that auditory learning
remained as the dominant learning style of a majority of students.
This is one of the reasons why the main form of delivery of
information in schools and universities is through verbal lectures.
But most schools and universities use graphical content in their
lectures and hold laboratory sessions to facilitate students who are
dominant in other learning styles.
VIII.

(c)
57
16
67
5
46
11
16
33
41
32
15
37
7

Figure 4 gives the number of students with their

respective learning style as a percentage.

OBSERVATIONS

After analyzing the results of this research, some important

and rather interesting facts were observed. Some of the
observations matched ones seen in past research. The following
are the observations of this research:
A. Possessed a dominant learning style
It was observed that most undergraduate students had a
unique, dominant learning style out of the three main learning
styles. This doesnt necessarily mean that these students are
completely visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners. But the entry
used mostly by the students revealed their dominant learning
style. The following chart depicts the number of students and their
dominant learning styles.

Visual Learners

Number of students

50

Low grade
8%

40
High grade
38%

30
20
10

Medium
grade
54%

0
Visual

Auitory

Kinesthetic

Learning style

Low grade

Figure 5: Dominant learning styles of students

Medium grade

Auditory Learners

B. Possessed a combination of learning styles.

Low grade
9%

But a considerable number of showed a combination of two

and in rare cases, all three major learning styles. The following
chart illustrates the data of students who possess a combination
of the learning styles.

Number of students

High grade

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

High grade
34%

Medium
grade
57%
Low grade

Medium grade

High grade

Kinesthetic Learners
Visual &
Auditory

Visual &
Kinesthetic

Auditory &
Kinesthetic

All

Learning style

High grade
28%

Low grade
0%

Figure 6: Students who possess a combination of learning styles

C. Students with a combination of all three styles.

The final question of the questionnaire retrieved
information regarding the grades of the students. It was
observed that students who followed all the three learning styles
had a higher percentage in scoring high grades.

Medium
grade
72%
Low grade

Medium grade

High grade

Figure 7: Percentages of grades of students who have a dominant learning style

An increase in grades can be observed in students who

follow all three learning styles.

All Styles
Low Grade
0%
Medium
Grade
33%
High Grade
67%

IX.

As previously mentioned in this report, to achieve maximum

productivity in each learning style, effective and suitable learning
techniques should be implemented and practiced. The learning
techniques that are practiced should comply with the receptivity
of ones self to gather information. The following are
recommended learning techniques and strategies that students
with the respective dominant learning style should practice.
These methods can technically be practiced by anyone, but
effective results can only be guaranteed to the specific learning
style. (Shraw and Horn 1995)
A. Visual learners

Low Grade

Medium Grade

High Grade

Figure 8: Percentage of grades of students who have a combination of all three

learning styles.

As mentioned in above sections, there is no

discrimination as good or bad learning styles. However, it
remains to be seen that students who possess a combination of
learning styles are better at scoring high grades.

When retrieving information, it should be absorbed from the

most dominant channel in the body which in this case is eyes.
So, learning techniques which involve their eyes should be
performed. (Inc. 2014)

30

25

Number of students

RECOMMENDATIONS

20

Underline or highlight important points when reading

something new. Doing so will make the mind grab more
information about the subject which you read.
Use different colors to differentiate between concepts and
themes. This will eliminate the graphical monotone.
Get data to be represented in graphical forms such as, charts,
flow charts, graphs, pictures, videos, etc.
Refer textbooks containing pictures and diagrams.
Convert learning packages into a learnable package by
reducing them into graphical media such as pictures, graphs,
charts, etc.

15

B. Auditory learners
10

Auditory learners are more receptive to knowledge through

their ears. So, they should retrieve it through methods related to
hearing and verbal communications. (Australasia 2010)

5
0

Learning styles
Low Grade

Medium Grade

High Grade

Figure 9: Grade vs. Learning Style

Attend lectures and tutorials regularly. Since lectures and

tutorials are conducted through verbal communication,
auditory learners stand a better chance in grabbing important
key points in the content.
Discuss topics with lecturers, instructors and other students.
This clarifies any doubts and is a very efficient way to absorb
extra knowledge.
Use a tape recorder to record lectures and listen to it after
lectures. This repeats the subject material and creates
auditory memories in the brain. However, it is wise to obtain
prior permission from the lecturer before recording any

lectures. Otherwise, it would be stealing of intellectual

property.
Read lecture notes out loud while studying. This creates a
similar effect as attending lectures as it too created auditory
memories in the brain.
Choose a quiet place to study. This reduces distractions as it
does not disturb the dominant receptive channels of the
student which in this case are their ears.

C. Kinesthetic leaners
Kinesthetic learners have a strong preference for engaging in
physical activities while learning. Therefore, their learning
techniques should involve physical engagement. The following
methods may prove effective for kinesthetic learners. (Fleming
2001 - 2011)

To take in information, use all your senses if possible sight,

touch, taste, smell and hearing.
Take part in laboratory experiments, field trips and tours.
This makes the student gain physical experience and train the
body to accept information while relieving stress.
Use the method of trial and error when learning something
new. This creates muscle memory and can also induce
creative thinking.
When recalling a memory of something learnt, try to
remember how you felt when learning it. Since kinesthetic
learners are more physically receptive than others, they stand
a better chance to remember things this way.

D. The Method of Loci

The Method of Loci, also known as Memory Palace or
Mind Palace is an ancient mnemonic technique invented by the
Romans which technically enables the user to memorize
anything. Roman and Greek orators have used this technique to
deliver speeches without the aid of any notes. When used
correctly, this technique is guaranteed to retain vast amounts of
data for a very long time sometimes even throughout ones
lifetime. This techniques uses the fact that the human brain is
better at remembering places and geographical locations. In this
technique, the locations serves as clues to what a person is trying
to remember. This is regarded as a very easy technique to learn,
however, it requires a certain degree of concentration and
imagination. (Richard C. Mohs 2014)
1). Setting up the memory palace Initially, a familiar
geographical location should be chosen inside the mind and it

should be clearly visible. The user should be able to mentally

walk anywhere inside it. Most people would choose their own
house, a friends house or their place of work. But it doesnt
necessarily have to be a real place. It could even be a virtual
location entirely built up by imagination. A series of locations
should be memorized in a logical order. (Richard C. Mohs 2014)
2). Storing memories and information: When storing
information inside the memory palace, the piece of information
should be logically placed at one of the locations inside the
memory palace. Each object in the memory palace could serve as
a memory storage location.
3). Recollecting information: When recollecting
information, the user should take the same mental walk that
he/she took when storing the memories. When walking inside the
memory palace, the brain automatically triggers the memories
and information stored in the memory locations.
It is accepted that this method is more suitable for visual
and kinesthetic learners. But since it is a very easy and effective
technique, it might as well be practiced by everyone.
X.

CONCLUSIONS

According to our research and the past research, it is found

that most students do not follow effective methods to suit their
learning styles. Most students have a dominant learning style
while a few possess a combination of two or all three learning
styles. None of the learning styles cannot be labelled as the best
or the worst but in order to achieve maximum productivity,
students should adapt qualities from each learning style.
XI.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The success and final outcome of this project required a lot

of guidance and assistance from many people and we are
extremely fortunate to have got a chance to thank them.
We give our special gratitude to the lecturers in charge of the
course module, Dr. Shiromi, Dr. Ganga and Dr. Niranga whose
contribution in stimulating suggestions and encouragements.
Furthermore, we would also like to acknowledge with much
appreciation the crucial role of the students in the three faculties
of SLIIT who helped us in making our research a success.
Finally, we highly appreciate the team spirit of all the
members in our team.

XII.

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