As noted by the authors of the study, “the concept of matching instructional strategies to an individual’s learning style in order to enhance learning outcome and achieve better academic success is a well-known concept among educators and the general population” (all quotes are from the original article.)
Indeed, “one of the most cited and well-known learning style perspectives concerns modality-specific preferences. The overall prediction is that if individuals are given instruction in their preferred modality (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic), they will experience enhanced learning outcomes.” However, “several independent authors have advanced the view that the latter represents a neuromyth” because “the implicit assumption is that the learning material delivered via one sensory modality (i.e., visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) is processed in the brain independently from material delivered via other sensory modalities”, while “substantial scientific evidence shows support for cross-modal processing and interconnectivity... and demonstrates that input modalities in the brain are always interlinked.” Adding to this debate, the researchers reviewed 13 experiments that followed the same methodology: screening participants for their preferred learning style, assigning them to matched or non-matched conditions, and then providing the same test to assess their learning. Results showed that “across studies that have applied these methodological criteria, the overall effect sizes were very low and non-significant, indicating that there is still no replicable statistical evidence for enhanced learning outcome by aligning instruction to modality-specific learning styles.” Reference: Aslaksen and Loras (2018), “The Modality-Specific Learning Style Hypothesis: a Mini-Review”, Frontiers in Psychology, August 2018
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