Comparing Students with High and Low Preferences for Tactile Learning

There has been a good deal of research assessing the learning style preferences of students (Carbo, 1983; James & Galbraith, 1984; Reed, 1996). This research has consistently revealed a strong relationship between academic achievement and individual learning style. However, there are few studies that have examined the differential preferences of students beyond their primary learning style category. The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying learning preferences of tactile learners to determine if they could be further differentiated from those whose tactile preference is low. The concept of learning styles has many different definitions (Reed, 1996). Generally, learning styles are thought to represent an individuals unique approach to learning material. They are the consistent ways in which students respond to stimuli in the learning environment (Matthews, 1991). Learning styles might be thought of as the cognitive, affective, and physiological factors that contribute to a student's ideal learning pattern (Price & Dunn, 1997; Hickson & Paltimore, 1996). A learning style approach places an emphasis on a student's strengths, rather than their deficiencies (Hickson & Baltimore). Semple and Pascale (1984) contend that how a student learns is one of the most important factors related to academic success. Research has examined the different learning style preferences of males and females, the differences across grades, and the various learning preferences of ethnic minorities. Hickson and Baltimore (1996) found that females have more of a preference for visual learning tasks than do males. Research assessing the learning styles of ethnic minorities has revealed 12 variables that discriminate the learning styles of four ethic groups (Hickson, Land & Aikman, 1994), suggesting learning may be influenced by cultural differences. Therefore, an awareness of learning style differences of ethnic populations and accommodating these differences in the classroom may result in better academic achievement for these youth. The particular learning style preferences of students have been found to have a strong impact on achievement in different academic areas. Corlett (1993) proposes that if we are to respond effectively to the needs of students, we must understand how they learn best and develop instructional methods that respond appropriately. For example, Carbo (1983) suggests that students who are fluent readers may have stronger auditory and visual preferences, whereas younger beginner readers and readers with disabilities tend to have more tactile preferences. This is only one example emphasizing the importance of assessing learning styles in the educational environment. This study compared students with a high preference for tactile learning with those with a low preference. A person with a tactile learning style learns best through the use of manipulative and three-dimensional models (Price & Dunn, 1997). They prefer to be able to touch and move resources (Semple & Pascale, 1984) and should be allowed to utilize models and other real objects to plan, demonstrate, report and evaluate. Further, they may need encouragement to keep written or graphic records. Although these factors remain important to enhancing the achievement of students, it is also important to understand the secondary learning styles of students, or the preferences aside from tactile that distinguish high tactile learners from low tactile learners. Method Subjects A total of 25,104 students in grades five through twelve completed the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) (Price & Dunn, 1997). These students were further divided based on their scores on the Tactile scale. Instrument The LSI for grades five through twelve is a self-report instrument that contains items on a five-point Liken scale ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree (Price & Dunn, 1997). …