The IRMA Community
Newsletters
Research IRM
Click a keyword to search titles using our InfoSci-OnDemand powered search:
|
Leveraging the Economics of Belief to Provide Evidence-Based Alternatives to Learning Styles
Abstract
The myth that people learn best when teachers match instruction and assessment with students' “learning styles” is both persistent and pervasive. Pre-service teachers are particularly susceptible to the influence of coursework that presents “learning styles” as an accepted and evidence-based practice. Using popular neuromyths, such as “right-brain/left-brain” learners and the visual-auditory-kinesthetic (VAK) paradigm as exemplars of the problem, the authors present classic and current evidence highlighting why “learning styles” are not supported by either cognitive psychology or neuroscience. The authors examine reasons why these myths continue to persist, including the role of cognitive dissonance and confirmation biases, and present recent evidence that endorsement and usage of these practices by teachers can have damaging impacts on students, particularly young children. They argue that teachers and students alike are better served through the use of well-researched and validated instructional strategies, such as problem-based learning, than well-intentioned but misguided learning myths.
Related Content
|
David R. Meek.
© 2026.
32 pages.
|
|
Candi H. Milcznski, Lacey K. H. Wood, Frances Flowers Courson.
© 2026.
38 pages.
|
|
Lacey K. H. Wood, Candi M. H. Milcznski, Frances Flowers Courson.
© 2026.
38 pages.
|
|
Christi Batamula, Bobbie Jo Kite, Julie Mitchiner, Onudeah D. Nicolarakis.
© 2026.
36 pages.
|
|
Russell O. West, Michele Berke, Sarah J. Honigfeld, Karen Hopkins, Amy Gregurich Lindley, Scott Mohan.
© 2026.
50 pages.
|
|
Debbie Golos, Leala Holcomb, Bernice A. Adekeye, Petra Horn-Marsh, Brynn Kraning, Autumn Moder, Adele Ann Eberwein, Malonje Phiri, Theresa Christine dela De La Torre.
© 2026.
36 pages.
|
|
Muhammad Usman Tariq.
© 2026.
28 pages.
|
|
|