Combatting the learning styles virus reminds me of the Whack-a-Mole arcade game. No matter how many times you whack learning styles on the head (using articles, research papers, conference presentations, etc.) they just keep coming back!
To help people understand why learning styles should not be used in training/instructional design, I have put together a selected list of articles and research papers (plus a TEDx talk and a podcast) that have been published since 2014 and can be freely accessed on the Internet.
Right-click on any link to open in a new tab or a new window.
- Donggun An and Martha Carr. Learning Styles Theory Fails to Explain Learning and Achievement: Recommendations for Alternative Approaches. Personality and Individual Differences. Volume 116, October 2017, pp. 410-416. [link]
- Karoline Aslaksen and Håvard Lorås. Matching Instruction with Modality-Specific Learning Style: Effects on Immediate Recall and Working Memory Performance. Education Sciences. Volume 9, Issue 1, 2019. [link]
- Karoline Aslaksen and Håvard Lorås. The Modality-Specific Learning Style Hypothesis: A Mini-Review. Frontiers in Psychology. Volume 9, Article 1538. 21 August 2018. [link]
- Matthew Barclay. Learning Styles: The Ugly Christmas Sweaters of Education. Franklin University. 14 February 2017. [link]
- Bryan Barnes. Spotting Fake Science in Corporate Training: A Guide to Avoiding Bad Practices. LinkedIn. 8 August 2024. [link]
- Kimberly Nix Berens. The Word “Style” Applies to Fashion, Not to Learning. Psychology Today. 19 October 2020. [link]
- Jane Bozarth. The Truth About Teaching to Learning Styles, and What to Do Instead? The eLearning Guild. 2018. [link]
- Joshua Cuevas. Brain-Based Learning, Myth Versus Reality: Testing Learning Styles and Dual Coding. Science-Based Medicine. 12 October 2014. [link]
- Joshua Cuevas. Is Learning Styles-based Instruction Effective? A Comprehensive Analysis of Recent Research on Learning Styles. Theory and Research in Education. Volume 13, Issue 3, November 2015, pp. 308-333. [link]
- Martin Daumiller and Benedikt Wisniewski. Learning Styles: Why They Don't Exist But Still Persist. The Inquisitive Mind. Issue 47, 2023. [link]
- Clemente I. Diaz. Learning Styles - A Detriment to Effective Student Learning. The Learning Scientists. 12 June 2018. [link]
- Lisa C. Duffin. Stop "Fixing" Your Brain by Believing in Learning Styles. Psychology Today. 23 June 2020. [link]
- William Furey. The Stubborn Myth of "Learning Styles" - State Teacher-license Prep Materials Peddle a Debunked Theory. Teachers and Teaching. Volume 20, Number 3, Summer 2020, pp. 8-12. [link]
- John Hattie and Timothy O'Leary. Learning Styles, Preferences, or Strategies? An Explanation for the Resurgence of Styles Across Many Meta-analyses. Educational Psychology Review. Volume 37, Article Number 31, 2025. [link]
- Carl Hendrick. Learning Styles Don't Exist. AEON, 26 January 2023. [link]
- Polly R. Husman and Valerie Dean O'Loughlin. Another Nail in the Coffin for Learning Styles? Disparities Among Undergraduate Anatomy Students’ Study Strategies, Class Performance, and Reported VARK Learning Styles. Anatomical Sciences Education. Volume 12, Issue 1, January/February 2019, pp. 6-19. No longer available - see this summary.
- Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel. Learning Styles: A Misguided Attempt to Highlight Individual Differences in Learners. The Learning Scientists. 25 May 2017. [link]
- Breanna C. Lawrence, Burcu Yaman Ntelioglou, and Todd Milford. It Is Complicated: Learning and Teaching Is Not About “Learning Styles”. Frontiers for Young Minds. Volume 8, Article 110. August 2020. [link 1] [link 2]
- Theresa René LeBlanc. Learning Styles: Academic Fact or Urban Myth? A Recent Review of the Literature. Journal of College Academic Support Programs. Volume 1, Issue 1. Spring 2018, pp. 34-40. [link]
- Keith B. Lyle, Andrea S. Young, Robin J. Heyden, and Mark A. McDaniel. Matching Learning Style to Instructional Format Penalizes Learning. Computers and Education Open. Volume 5, Article 1001143, 15 December 2023. [link]
- Tesia Marshik. Don't Believe Everything You Think. Learning Styles and the Importance of Critical Self-reflection. TEDxUWLaCrosse 2015. [link]
- Vincent Miholic. Is Appealing to Learning Styles Malpractice? Association for Talent Development. 17 March 2016. [link]
- Shaylene E. Nancekivell, Xin Sun, Susan A. Gelman, and Priti Shah. A Slippery Myth: How Learning Style Beliefs Shape Reasoning about Multimodal Instruction and Related Scientific Evidence. Cognitive Science. Volume 45, Issue 10, October 2021. [link]
- Philip Newton and Atharva Salvi. How Common Is Belief in the Learning Styles Neuromyth, and Does It Matter? A Pragmatic Systematic Review. Frontiers in Education. Volume 5, Article 602451, 14 December 2020. [link]
- Philip Newton and Mahallad Miah. Evidence-Based Higher Education – Is the Learning Styles ‘Myth’ Important? Frontiers in Psychology. Volume 8, Article 444, 27 March 2017. [link]
- Philip M. Newton, Hannah Farukh Najabat-Lattif, Gabriella Santiago and Atharva Salvi. The Learning Styles Neuromyth Is Still Thriving in Medical Education. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Volume 15, 11 August 2021. [link]
- Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, Maria Gritzali and Alexia Barrable. The Learning Styles Educational Neuromyth: Lack of Agreement Between Teachers' Judgments, Self-Assessment, and Students' Intelligence. Frontiers in Education. 29 November 2018. [link]
- Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, Anna K. Touloumakos, Christina Koutouveli and Alexia Barrable. The Learning Styles Neuromyth: When the Same Term Means Different Things to Different Teachers. European Journal of Psychology of Education. Volume 36, 2021, pp. 511–531. [link]
- Rogowsky, B. A., Calhoun, B. M., & Tallal, P. Matching Learning Style to Instructional Method: Effects on Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology. Volume 107, Issue 1, pp. 64-78, 2015. [link]
- Beth A. Rogowsky, Barbara M. Calhoun and Paula Tallal. Providing Instruction Based on Students’ Learning Style Preferences Does Not Improve Learning. Frontiers in Psychology. Volume 11, Article 164, 14 February 2020. [link]
- Shaina Rozen. Why Learning Styles Don't Work - and Proven Ways to Learn More Effectively. Work Life. 1 May 2024. [link]
- Evan Ogg Straub. Roundup on Research: The Myth of "Learning Styles". Center for Academic Innovation, University of Michigan. [link]
- Xin Sun, Owen Norton & Sharlene E. Nancekivell. Beware the Myth: Learning Styles Affect Parents’, Children’s, and Teachers’ Thinking About Children’s Academic Potential. npj Science of Learning. Volume 8, Article 46, 2023. [link]
- The Learning Scientists Podcast. Episode 49 - Learning Styles and Dual Coding. 30 July 2020. [link]
- Greg Toppo. ‘Neuromyth’ or Helpful Model? Inside Higher Ed. 9 January 2018. [link]
- Alexandra Yfanti and Spyridon Doukakis. Debunking the Neuromyth of Learning Style. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Volume 1338, January 2021, pp.145-153. [link]
Throughout my L&D career I have continuously researched and experimented with ways to increase learning effectiveness. Along the way I have immersed myself in the 'science of learning' and the 'science of instruction' and have learned from successes and failures.
I know from experience that training can be very powerful if appropriate and implemented properly, which means addressing both drivers in the Training Effectiveness Equation. I have personally been involved in designing and implementing training programs that consistently produced an ROI in excess of 100%.
Over the last 20+ years I have successfully delivered many professional development programs for learning specialists. I have also created and delivered programs to help managers get better results from employee development.
I offer online programs for maximising learner engagement and learner performance. These programs include a combination of virtual workshops and self-paced learning. They incorporate extensive research and the methods I personally use to design and deliver training that is engaging and effective.
My programs are based on the Predictable Performance Design Methodology and implemented according to the Ready-Set-Go-Show Model. Thanks to the model, I won a Gold Award at LearnX in the category Best Learning Model: Custom/Bespoke. Check out my article: Ready-Set-Go-Show Wins Gold.
If you would like to arrange a chat or want more info about my work, please email me at geoff@TrainingThatWorks.online.
Natural Intelligence | 109 billion connections across 5 x star systems | Spock had three ears. A right ear, a left ear, and a final frontier | beevomit.com.au 🐝
1yWhat’s wrong with learning styles? They keep popping up because they exist in the ecosystem.
Award-Winning L&D Innovator | AI-Driven Learning Strategist | Unlocking Human Potential Through Cutting-Edge Technology
1yUnfortunately, Learning Styles are still a core part of accredited training here in Australia. TAELED803 is still pushing the assessment of learning styles into our Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas. Until we stop pushing this concept onto business leaders and educators, I’m afraid this little mole will keep popping up!
Leadership Consultant, Executive Coach & LeadershipOnline Community Host
1yHey Geoff, I wonder if this is partly a seduction. The harder to sell message is, "As a learner, you have to do the work to adapt program content into your specific context". The more appealing message is, "You are special and unique and programs have to adapt to fit your learning style". In the leadership development space, this comparison is: - hard to sell = "As a leader you have to notice more about what people need from leadership and find ways to enable it from you and/or others" - easier to sell = "Your leadership style and strengths are ..." The self-indulgent stuff is far more seductive and appealing.
Leadership Consultant, Executive Coach & LeadershipOnline Community Host
1yGreat article! Thank you, Geoff. Well researched and generous. As always. May I add 2 small bits of comedy? + when needed, I avoid talking about learning styles and ask a new cohort to (separately) name their favourite meal. And if they eat it every day. After they answer "no", I promise "this program is the same". It is your job to work through the parts that do not fit your preferences. + Last year a new participant objected to alumni helping out at a leadership program orientation. After spending half a session on their phone outside, they returned to announce, "this does not suit my learning style". Part of me really wanted to ask how their learning style worked through walls ...