How valid and useful is the notion of learning style? A multicultural investigation

This study investigated the views of language teachers and learners on the utility and validity of applied learning style theory. Learning styles attempt to categorise people's habitual cognitive, affective and psychosocial responses and approaches to new information. There are numerous definitions of the term, and a profusion of taxonomies inform the instruments which purport to index the learning styles of individuals, and of cultural groups. The study found little evidence of the validity of a Style Analysis Survey, especially as a predictor of ‘cultural’ styles. However, learners and some teachers did see the instrument as a tool for empowering individual learners.