Students' learning styles and their correlation with performance in architectural design studio

Architectural curricula and studio design programmes are typically written with concerns for theoretical and professional training in mind without attending to ways in which a particular problem may privilege some students. Using Kolb's model, this study explores learning styles of architectural students in China and correlates their learning styles with design studio performance. A statistically significant correlation is found between learning styles and academic performance, with convergers achieving significantly lower marks in one studio while assimilators succeeded in the other. These results suggest that architectural studio programmes can disadvantage students with particular learning styles.