Abstract:
International students from diverse academic background and culture are not expected to learn in the same manner. In Kolb (1984), four distinct learning styles are identified. On one of the two dimensions, it relates to concrete experience (CE) and abstract conceptualisation (AC), and on the other, reflective observation (RO) and active experimentation (AE). These different learning styles, collectively known as the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) (Joy & Kolb, 2009) can be influenced by learners' characteristics including culture.
This paper uses a survey questionnaire on the Kolb Learning Style Inventory to determine the learning style types of post-graduate international students in the business program at one of Australia's regional universities. Respondents were international students mainly from Confucian Asia (China and Vietnam) and South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia). Binary variable regression is used on the sample data to determine whether differences in cultural background influence learning styles.
The results from the paper show marginal support for Confucian Asian students, who prefer using reflective observation, and for South Asian students who prefer using active experimentation in processing information. This weak link between learning style and culture could be explained by the increasing global use of communication technologies, enabling students from different cultural backgrounds to learn and adapt to cultural differences even before they become international students. The converging cultural differences due to increasing communications and interaction at the global level means culture and learning styles may not be highly correlated, and although the results indeed do not show statistical significance, it is generally consistent with some studies on learning styles and culture.
This paper uses a survey questionnaire on the Kolb Learning Style Inventory to determine the learning style types of post-graduate international students in the business program at one of Australia's regional universities. Respondents were international students mainly from Confucian Asia (China and Vietnam) and South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia). Binary variable regression is used on the sample data to determine whether differences in cultural background influence learning styles.
The results from the paper show marginal support for Confucian Asian students, who prefer using reflective observation, and for South Asian students who prefer using active experimentation in processing information. This weak link between learning style and culture could be explained by the increasing global use of communication technologies, enabling students from different cultural backgrounds to learn and adapt to cultural differences even before they become international students. The converging cultural differences due to increasing communications and interaction at the global level means culture and learning styles may not be highly correlated, and although the results indeed do not show statistical significance, it is generally consistent with some studies on learning styles and culture.