Students' Learning Styles and Academic Performance

Learning style preference data were collected from 1,252 first-year chemistry students at the University of Sydney in 2004/05. Analysis of the preference score distributions strongly supports the adoption of a trait-based personality model, in line with modern five-factor model research, rather than older dichotomous type-based models. Using this interpretive framework, significant and strong correlations have been found between dimension preference scores and academic performance in end-of-semester examinations. In general, students' average examination performance improves as introvert personality characteristics increase, and a similar trend is observed as thinking (as opposed to feeling) characteristics become dominant. These findings have substantial implications for pedagogical practice, and raise equity issues relating to assessment.