IS THE VARK A LARK?: A COMPARISON OF COLLEGE FRESHMAN SEMINAR STUDENTS' LEARNING/STUDYING PREFERENCES

The aim of this project was to increase the awareness of students enrolled in two sections of College HDV 102 Freshman Seminar, Survival of the Fittest: Maximize Your Learning to Maximize Your Potential, of their personal studying preferences and in so doing increase the efficacy of their studying and deepen their understanding of coursework. VARK is the acronym for Visual (V), Aural (A), Read/Write (R) and Kinesthetic (K) learning/studying. The VARK survey was administered and used to determine the learning/study styles of students in each Freshman Seminar Section. A follow-up survey was administered to determine whether or not these students changed their learning/study habits based on their results of the VARK survey. If they did change their habits, they were asked to explain how. When the section results were combined, most students, 55%, were identified as kinesthetic. Read/write learners made up the least amount of the population with only 11%. Of the students who completed the follow-up survey stating that they changed their study habits, 100% identified themselves as visual learners and began creating and using visual aids to improve their studying. In class discussion for both sections, all students, 100%, expressed the importance of their awareness of study habits and tailoring their future study habits accordingly. They felt that their knowledge of study habits made their studying more efficacious which resulted in deeper understanding of course work and better grades.