The idea that people learn better depending on their preferred sensory channel – visual, auditory or haptic – is widespread and deeply rooted, particularly in the education sector. Despite a lack of scientific evidence, studies show that around 90 per cent of teachers worldwide and as many as 95 per cent of trainee teachers in Germany believe that lessons should be tailored to so-called ‘learning types’. However, this insistence on a pseudo-scientific theory can have far-reaching negative consequences for educational practice and the self-image of learners.
The origins of the learning type theory date back to the 1970s and 1980s. The educational researcher Neil Fleming developed the VARK model, which differentiates between four learning preferences: Visual (visual), Auditory (auditory), Reading/Writing (reading/writing) and Kinesthetic (haptic). At a time of increasing individualisation in education, it seemed plausible and attractive to adapt teaching to these individual differences. The theory was widely supported, disseminated in popular science publications, teacher training programmes and online guides and developed into a supposedly irrefutable pedagogical dogma.
However, from an empirical point of view, the learning type theory is a myth. A large number of scientific studies have not been able to prove that adapting teaching to individual learning preferences leads to better learning success. Instead, recent research shows that categorising learners by learning type reinforces stereotypical perceptions and can be harmful in the long term. A notable study by Sun, Norton and Nancekivell (2023) used three experiments to investigate how the attribution of a learning type influences children’s, parents‘ and teachers’ judgements of students’ intellectual abilities.
In the first experiment, parents and children aged six to twelve evaluated two fictitious children who were described as either ‘visual’ or ‘practical learners’. Both groups considered the ‘visual’ child to be more intelligent. In the second experiment, parents and teachers were asked to predict in which school subjects the respective learning types would perform better. A consistent pattern emerged: visual learners were said to perform better in traditional school subjects such as maths, language and social sciences, while practical learners were said to have skills in creative and sporting areas. In the third experiment, school grades were to be predicted – here too, the same biased assessment was found.
These results illustrate how deeply rooted the belief in learning styles is and the negative effects it can have on pupils’ perceptions and development. When children are led to believe that they can only learn in a certain way, they limit themselves. They may avoid alternative learning strategies and devalue certain subjects as ‘not suitable’ for their type. This can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies that negatively affect their learning behaviour and school self-concept.
Instead of clinging to the outdated idea of fixed learning types, lessons should be designed to be varied and content-based. Different forms of presentation – such as visual, linguistic and practical approaches – should not be adapted to presumed learning types, but should be used for didactic reasons. Dual coding, in which information is conveyed simultaneously via two channels – for example visually and verbally – is particularly effective. This strategy promotes a deeper understanding and long-term retention of learning content.
The persistence of the learning type theory shows how attractive simple explanatory models can be in the field of education – even if they have long been scientifically refuted. It is the responsibility of education policy, teacher training and pedagogical research to promote evidence-based practices and to debunk myths that do not favour the learner.
Literature
Stangl, W. (2012, 15. Mai). Die Lerntypentheorie – eine Kritik. [werner stangl]s arbeitsblätter.
https://arbeitsblaetter.stangl-taller.at/LERNEN/Lerntypen.shtml
Stangl, W. (2014, 15. Mai). Schon wieder Lerntypen. News zum Thema Lernen.
https:// news.lerntipp.at/schon-wieder-lerntypen/.
Sun, X., Norton, O. & Nancekivell, S. E. (2023). Beware the myth: learning styles affect parents’, children’s, and teachers’ thinking about children’s academic potential. npj Science of Learning, 8, 46.