Students learning styles strategies: A validation process

Abstract

On the basis the dissemination of the use of learning styles, several recommendations have been published on the use of certain strategies, which could be used in teaching-learning process without a way of measuring instrument that allows their study. Thus, the objective of the research was to validate an instrument of learning strategies based on theoretical, reflexive, pragmatic and active styles, through criterion and construct validations, as weel as it´s psychometric correction. The criterion validations process was carried out by judges who were researchers that recommended the use of specific learning strategies for each style. The construct validation processs was performed by analyzing the concepts of learning styles by Alonso, Gallego & Honey (2007) in order to identify their congruence with the suggested strategies. The instrument was answered by 116 college students. The overall reliability obtained was 0.95. The reliability for the active style was 0.79, for the theoretical 0.85, for the reflexive 0.87 and for the pragmatic of 0.88. The measuring capacity for research on learning styles and strategies, as well as their difussion, are discussed. The results are also discussed on the topic of educational practice, due the recommendations about learning strategies should be based on verificable knowledge and on evidence that explain how are linked the strategies and the learning processes.