Limited usefulness of learning style instruments in advancing teaching and learning

Learning style inventories have been extensively used by management scholars to understand the different ways in which students process information and respond to academic tasks. However, the implications of these studies on teaching, learning, and research are largely unknown. This review analysed and critiqued 78 empirical studies adopting one or more learning style instruments. The findings were fourfold: (1) the effects of environmental factors on style preferences have rarely been considered, and the interpretation of learning styles is often decontextualised; (2) researchers attempted to transform students into more balanced learners, although there was no evidence that individuals with a balanced learning style outperformed their counterparts who possessed a single, dominant style; (3) there was no concrete evidence that matching teaching to students' dominant learning styles contributed to learning; and (4) studies employing the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) and Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) showed relatively consistent results, but more research is required to understand their correlations with other personal and environmental factors. Overall, learning style inventories demonstrated limited usefulness in advancing teaching and learning in management education. Practical implications and future research directions are provided based on the discussion of key findings.