The Authors Reply

and Skills Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/attachments/c455e462-95c4-4b0d-8308-bbc5ed1053a7.pdf Cornwell, J M., Manfredo, P A., & Dunlap, W P (1991) Factor analysis of the 1985 revision of Kolb’s learning style inventory Educational and Psychological Measurement, 51, 455–462 DeCiantis, S M., & Kirton, M J (1996) A psychometric re-examination of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle construct: A separation of level, style and process Educational and Psychological Measurement, 56, 809–820 Freedman, R D., & Stumpf, S A (1978) What can one learn from the learning style inventory? Academy of Management Journal, 21, 275–282 Hodgkinson, G P., & Sadler-Smith, E (2003) Complex or unitary? A critique and empirical re-assessment of the Allinson-Hayes Cognitive Style Index Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, 76, 243–268 Kolb, D A (1999) The Kolb learning style inventory, version Boston: Hay Group Lam, S S K (1997) Reliability and classification stability of learning style inventory in Hong Kong Perceptual and Motor Skills, 85, 141–142 Murphy, H J., Kelleher, W E., Doucette, P A., & Young, J D (1998) Test–retest reliability and construct validity of the cognitive style index for business undergraduates Psychological Reports, 82, 595–600 Newstead, S E (1992) A study of two ‘‘quick-and-easy’’ methods of assessing individual differences in student learning British Journal of Educational Psychology, 62, 299–312 Sadler-Smith, E., Spicer, D P., & Tsang, F (2000).Validity of the cognitive style index: Replication and extension British Journal of Management, 11, 175–181 Stumpf, S A., & Freedman, R D (1981) The learning style inventory: Still less than meets the eye Academy of Management Review, 6, 297–299 Veres, J G., & Sims, R R., & Shake, L G (1987) The reliability and classification stability of the learning style inventory in corporate settings Educational and Psychological Measurement, 47, 1127–1133 Wierstra, R F A., & DeJong, J A (2002, June) A scaling theoretical evaluation of Kolb’s learning style inventory–2 In M Valcke & D Gombeir (Eds.), Learning styles: Reliability and validity Proceedings of the 7th Annual European Learning Styles Information Network Conference (pp 431–440) Ghent, Belgium: University of Ghent Wilson, D K (1986) An investigation of the properties of Kolb’s learning style inventory Leadership and Organisation Development Journal, 7(3), 3–15 The Authors Reply ELENI ANDREOU, GEORGIA ANDREOU AND FILIPPOS VLACHOS University of Thessaly Volos, Greece & It is well known that Kolb’s work has been criticized for logical inconsistencies in theory construction but mainly for the psychometric properties of the LSI-1985 While relevant research has generally supported the internal reliability of the revised LSI-1985 (although with concerns about the stability of test–retest reliability scores), it has demonstrated inconclusive results in terms of its construct validity (e.g., THE FORUM 725 Tesol Quarterly tesol208126.3d 31/12/09 19:00:46 The Charlesworth Group, Wakefield +44(0)1924 369598 - Rev 7.51n/W (Jan 20 2003) Loo, 1996; Willcoxson & Prosser, 1996) Despite all the criticism, considerable research evidence reports positively on Kolb’s work as a means of showing alternative approaches to learning (Raschick, Maypole, & Day, 1998) Moreover, relative stability in learning styles over time is still a topic under investigation and the relevant results are inconclusive Heffler (2001), who worked with the learning modes of the LSI, found no significant correlations with age in a sample aged 19 to 37 years Truluck and Courtenay (1999), however, who worked with learning styles, found that older individuals demonstrate an age-related trend to become more reflective and observational in the learning environment In contrast, other studies have shown that students’ learning style preferences changed even during their years of study (e.g., Marriott, 2002) Research evidence, however, is sparse regarding differences in learning style preferences between students and professionals who differ in age but share the same discipline (e.g., Baldwin & Reckers, 1984) Also, the LSI-1985 remains one of the most widely distributed instruments used in higher education, because it is based on a grounded theoretical base which claims to provide a valuable framework for the design and management of learning activities (Healey & Jenkins, 2000) This instrument has been used to delimit possible relations with academic choices, achievement, and teaching styles (Honigsfeld & Schiering, 2004) Empirical results with the LSI-1985 have shown differentiated learning style preferences in specified disciplines (e.g., Kruzich, Friesen, & Van Soest, 1986) Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that, despite the serious concerns reported with regard to the LSI construct validity, most of the empirical studies have used, and are still using, the constructs of learning styles as proposed by the theory and not the constructs of learning modes, of which internal reliability has generally been supported by the relevant research evidence Therefore, our choice of LSI-1985 is based on a full consideration of which instrument should be used for assessing the learning styles of the subjects in our study The relevant criticism of the instrument included in this reply was not included in the article, because it was only a brief report REFERENCES Baldwin, B A., & Reckers, J M (1984) Exploring the role of learning style research in accounting education policy Journal of Accounting Education, 2, 1212 Healey, M., & Jenkins, A (2000) Kolb’s experiential learning theory and its application in geography in higher education Journal of Geography, 99, 1852195 Heffler, B (2001) Individual learning style and the learning style inventory Educational Studies, 27, 3072316 726 TESOL QUARTERLY Tesol Quarterly tesol208126.3d 31/12/09 19:00:46 The Charlesworth Group, Wakefield +44(0)1924 369598 - Rev 7.51n/W (Jan 20 2003) Honigsfeld, A., & Schiering, M (2004) Diverse approaches to the diversity of learning styles in teacher education Educational Psychology, 24, 4872507 Kruzich, J., Friesen, B., & Van Soest, D (1986) Assessment of students and faculty learning styles: Research and application Journal of Social Work Education, 22, 22230 Loo, R (1996) Construct validity and classification stability of the revised learning style inventory (LSI-1985) Educational and Psychological Measurement, 56, 5292536 Marriott, P (2002) A longitudinal study of undergraduate accounting students’ learning style preferences at two UK universities Accounting Education, 11, 43262 Raschick, M., Maypole, D E., & Day, P A (1998) Improving education through Kolb’s learning theory Journal of Social Work Education, 34, 31–42 Truluck, J E., & Courtenay, B C (1999) Learning style preferences among older adults Educational Gerontology, 25, 2212236 Willcoxson, L., & Prosser, M (1996) Kolb’s learning style inventory (1985): Review and further study of validity and reliability British Journal of Educational Psychology, 66, 2472257 THE FORUM 727 Tesol Quarterly tesol208126.3d 31/12/09 19:00:46 The Charlesworth Group, Wakefield +44(0)1924 369598 - Rev 7.51n/W (Jan 20 2003)