An Examination of Learning Preferences of U.S. and International Students

Abstract

Learning styles and preferences are often discussed topics in educational psychology, but are less prevalent in business education. International students are another understudied segment of business education. This article reviews literature regarding learning styles and preferences and examines whether U.S. and international students have different learning preferences using the visual-aural-read/write-kinesthetic (VARK) model. The findings indicate a large percentage of both populations have multimodal learning preferences. For the students who have one preferred learning mode, differences do exist between international and U.S. students.

Keywords:

• Learning preferences
• Learning styles
• VARK framework
• International students

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristin Stowe

Kristin Stowe is an associate professor of Economics at the Porter B. Byrum School of Business at Wingate University. She received her doctorate in economics from Clemson University. She teaches a range of undergraduate economics courses.

Sharon Clinebell

Sharon Clinebell is a professor of Management at the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado, where she has also served as department chair and assistant dean. She received her doctorate in business administration from Southern Illinois University- Carbondale. She teaches Organizational Behavior and Leadership.