A comparative study of the teaching practice preferences of teachers with different learning styles

The developments in science and technology certainly affect life, and force change upon society. Such rapid changes and developments have also brought about a change in the traits expected of qualified individuals (MNE, 2011). Such individuals are now expected to have both the knowledge required and the ability to use such knowledge to solve problems in a number of fields. In this context, the need for people with the ability to combine and use knowledge in various fields for the solution of personal and social problems exhibits itself in various forms including the ability to create associations between various fields, and the ability to have a different perspective on problems (Dervişoğlu and Soran, 2003; MNE, 2011).

In Turkey, the transition to a new education system took place in 2005 for primary education, and in 2007 for secondary education, with a view to bringing the traits to be instilled in the students in line with current needs (MNE, 2011). As a result of the changes, an experience-based teaching perspective was adopted, on the basis that learning in the physics teaching program should be based directly on real-life experiences (MNE, 2011).

Based on the assumption that every student can be educated, and that no in-educable student exists, the new physics classes employ teaching methods that take into account the active process nature of learning, involving approaches which do not entail a direct transfer of knowledge, while emphasizing individual differences and utilizing experiments and group work (MNE, 2011).

For many years, the individual differences experienced in learning have kept educators busy, and had been a matter of substantial research (Mutlu and Aydoğdu, 2003; Demir, 2006). In particular, recent years have seen an increased emphasis on studies aimed at understanding how individuals think and learn, leading to the understanding that there are differences between individuals, and that different individuals have different thinking and learning styles (Tümkaya, 2011).

Educational research focuses on individual differences in terms of intelligence, talent, character traits etc., not to mention learning styles. One of the most important concepts in any analysis of individual differences - learning styles (Çaycı and Ünal, 2007) - has arisen due to the different physiological, psychological, and cognitive structures with which each individual is endowed (Demir, 2008). One of the integral elements of human life and a most crucial skill for humans –learning- starts with birth and continues throughout one's life, and differs from one individual to another (Can, 2011).

The understanding of learning styles – a most crucial element of individual differences – has its roots in Carl Jung's (1927) Personality Types Theory, culminating in the first mention of the term in 1960 by Rita Dunn (Can, 2011; Demir and Osmanoğlu, 2013; Karademir and Tezel, 2010; Karakış, 2006). The question asks 'What is a learning style?'. A glance at the literature reveals numerous definitions of learning styles. Dunn (1986) defined learning style as the student's venture in unique directions when learning a new and difficult piece of knowledge, or remembering an already learned one. McCarthy (1987) on the other hand, refers to people's use of their skills to discern and process knowledge as their learning style. Kolb and Kolb (2009) define the term with reference to the use of unique routes in a spiral form through a learning circle based on the preferences of individuals. Finally, Özdemir and Kesten (2012) note that learning style is a multi-dimensional concept associated with factors such as perception, implanting knowledge in the mind, past experiences, the impact of the environment, and hereditary features.

The Role of Learning Styles in Education/Teaching

For teaching, with the objective of achieving learning on the part of the student, in order for it to be executed in an efficient manner, while achieving time and cost savings, learning environments compatible with learning styles are among the must-haves (Bahar, Özen and Gülaçtı, 2009). According to Kolb (1984), in teaching carried out in accordance with learning styles, the students will be able to understand what and why they learn, while both the teacher and the students must have an insight into the state of learning (Coffield, et al., 2004). Furthermore, Kolb (1981) noted that learning is not just about knowledge, skills and talents, and that learning styles also play a role in academic achievement.

The educational activities compatible with learning styles are considered to help the development of a positive attitude towards learning, causing an increased acceptance of what is different, and an increased level of academic achievement (Given, 1996; Denizoğlu, 2008).

Similary, Güven (2004) noted that education in line with learning styles could increase the individual's productivity, while education which is not (particularly) in line with the individual's learning style could lead to changes in feelings of trust, achievement, and anxiety on the part of the individual.

A glance at the literature reveals that the identification of learning styles, which comprise a significant part of individual differences, could help when it comes to arranging appropriate teaching environments, the teaching strategies applicable, the methods and techniques to be used, and the selection of the materials to be used. For instance, according to Babadoğan (2000), the knowledge of the students' learning styles could lead to a better understanding of the mode of learning and the teaching design required, helping the teacher to develop teaching environments more in tune with his/her needs as well as those of his/her students. Peker et al. (2003) also note that an awareness of the students' learning styles could allow an easier selection of teaching methods, techniques, strategies, and materials, enabling teaching to be in line with the interests of the students. Usta et al. (2011) emphasize the importance of differences regarding the students' processes with regard to receiving, processing, organizing, and outputting knowledge, in terms of designing the teaching process. In addition, teaching environments organized in accordance with the various learning styles would arguably render learning more significant and lasting (Yazıcılar and Güven, 2009).

Taking into account the teacher's responsibilities to create an environment that allows every student to learn, albeit in different ways, the qualifications required of the teacher today generally entail skills involving the planning of a course, the organization of the learning-teaching environment, the enrichment of teaching with individual differences in mind, the recognition of the learning styles of students, etc., even though different definitions of such qualifications are often noted.

Effecting education-teaching in tune with the learning styles of students contributes to permanent learning (Gencel, 2007); hence, it is crucial to establish how to achieve this goal. The earlier studies on learning styles, such as that of Svinicki and Dixon's (1987) summarized how specific teaching activities could be employed with reference to learning styles, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Degree of direct student involvement using various teaching methods (Svinicki and Dixon, 1987, p.146).

In this diagram, as one moves from the center to the perimeter, the student proceeds from a more passive or receptive stance, to a more active one, through the activities stipulated. For instance, while lectures examples keep the student in a passive position, direct experiences render him/her more active. The activities extending to the right-hand side of the figure would progressively move the individual's reflective observation skills from a passive stance to an active one as that individual moves from the center to the perimeter. For instance, while questions on thoughts keep the individual in a passive position, journals render him/her more active. The activities extending to the lower part of the figure would progressively take the individual's abstract conceptualization skills from a passive stance to an active one, as the student moves from the center to the perimeter. For instance, while presentation analogies and descriptions keep the student in a passive position, model building exercises render him/her more active. The activities extending to the left-hand side of the figure would progressively take the individual's active experience skills from a passive stance to an active one as s/he moves from the center to the perimeter. For instance, while using examples for teaching keep the student in a passive position, field work activities render him/her more active.

Literature on learning styles

The complex character of the learning styles has intrigued a number of researchers for many years and has generated many different research areas. These areas may be classified as fallows: (a) the relationship between learning styles and academic achievement (e.g. Cano-Garcia and Hughes, 2000; Contessa et al., 2005; Davies et al., 1997; Ekici, 2013, Keith Hargrove et al., 2008), (b) students' learning styles (e.g. Ashford et al., 2003; Ateş and Altun, 2008; Bahar and Sülün, 2011; French et al., 2007; Gunawardena et al., 1996), (c) Learning style and learning environments (e.g. Buch and Bartley, 2002; Buerck et al., 2003; Gardner and Korth, 1998), (d) The relationship between learning styles and gender (e.g. Ateş and Altun, 2008; Bahar et al., 200), Bahar and Sülün, 2011; Gunawardena et al., 1996; Kaya et al., 2012, (e) The relationship between learning styles and program/school type (e.g. Demir and Osmanoğlu, 2013; Gürsoy, 2008; Koçyiğit, 2011; Mutlu, 2008; Şengül et al., 2013); (f) The relationship between learning styles and classroom level (e.g. Ateş and Altun, 2008; Can, 2011; Özdemir and Kesten, 2012; Tuna, 2008; Yenice, 2012). There are also researches focusing on other topics than aforementioned ones. For example: Learning and thinking styles (Cano-Garcia and Hughes, 2000), attitudes of individuals with different learning styles towards group work (Gardner and Korth, 1998), the impact of student learning styles on interviewing skills (Davies et al.,1997).

A literature review showed that studies on the integration of learning styles into teaching activities are limited. It is a matter of concern to identify to what extent teachers take into account the learning styles and, whether they diversify their teaching activities accordingly. . In addition, it is still unbeknown how teachers' own learning styles affect their teaching practices.

Learning Styles and Curriculum Choices

The physics curriculum, based on contextual teaching founded on the principles of constructivist theory, also assumes that learning could be meaningful and lasting in natural settings. That is why the program embraces the learning of concepts and laws of physics, starting directly with experiences in life, rather than teaching the concepts and laws first, followed by an attempt to present examples from life (MNE, 2011). In other words, the physics curriculum is based on learning by doing and living. A glance at the literature reveals a number of studies attesting to the increased learning in science courses in particular, associated with contextual learning involving doing and living (Barker and Millar, 1999; Barker and Millar, 2000; Bennett et al., 2005; Bulte et al., 2002; Markic and Eilks, 2006; Çekiç and Toroslu, 2011; Acar and Yaman, 2011; Hırca, 2012). A glance at the studies in this area reveals that the majority of achievement indicators are based on the results of teaching executed through conventional perspectives. As these indicators have not been reviewed with reference to learning styles, one of the leading parameters of individual differences, the effectiveness of teaching based on learning through doing-experience alone, for learners with different learning styles, is still unknown.

Purpose of the study

The aim of this study is to determine the teaching practices of physics teachers with different learning styles and to analysis how teaching practices differ according to their learning styles. Accordingly, the following research questions are settled:

Which activities of learning style teachers use to underpin their teaching practices?
How do teachers' teaching practices vary according to their learning styles?