Bridging the Gap: Aligning Teaching and Learning Styles

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to determine the effects of adapting instructional methodology when aligned to students’ common learning styles on student performance in a college classroom. The study was conducted with 27 students registered for a sociology course at a community college in the state of New Jersey. The Felder-Silverman Learning Styles model was used as the theoretical framework for the study. Both students’ learning styles and corresponding teaching techniques were identified and aligned in the classroom based on the Felder-Silverman model. The findings from the study indicated that students achieved higher grades because of the alignment of teaching and learning styles in the classroom. Poor student achievement in higher education has been a major issue facing the United States over the past few decades. For example, American Association of Community Colleges (2012) noted that the United States led the world for generations with respect to college graduation rates but currently holds the 16th position for adults between the ages of 25 and 34. Therefore, Lumina Foundation (2012) reported that between 2008 and 2010, only 40% of working age adults (ages 25–64) had a 4-year or 2-year college degree in America. Consequently, in 2006, the Secretary of Education reported that the higher education department would be held accountable for student success in the United States (Spelling, 2006). Likewise, Bailey, Jeong, and Cho (2010) suggested that because of the need for a highly-trained workforce, students’ underachievement in higher education needs to be addressed for the United States to compete on a global scale.