Nationality as a Determinant of Learning Styles Preferences: Comparing Students from (original) (raw)

Learning is one of the most universal of human activities; however, the ways in which knowledge is gained can be different for different cultures--cultural differences have an effect on the learning process (Hofstede 1997; Joy and Kolb 2009). In the classroom, when a student has a learning style that differs from the instructional style of the teacher, a conflict will occur that will prevent the effective transfer of knowledge. This effect will be even deeper when the teacher does not understand the cultural and personal reasons for this difference. Thus, an understanding of cross-cultural learning styles is crucial to success in teaching and learning in a multi-cultural setting. The learning styles of higher education students differ as a consequence of the constraints different cultures place on human behavior (Katz 1988; Pratt 1992; Abramson, Keating, and Lane, 1996, DeVita 2001, Holtbrügge and Mohr, 2010, Hays and Allinson, 1988). Previous research also recommends the investigation of the effect of culture on learning styles as dictated by globalization and the expansion of the multicultural classroom (e.g., Auyeung and Sands, 1996; Holtbrügge and Mohr, 2010). For example, the number of international students enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States totaled 582,984 in the 2006/07 academic year, according to the Open Doors report, published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and