No such thing as “Learning Styles”
The concept of "learning styles" refers to the idea that different individuals have unique ways of learning and processing information. The idea is very popular and lucrative, both within and outside of education, with nearly 100 different models, theories, and assessments (many associated with commercial, for-profit enterprises). Virtually all of them either imply or explicitly state instruction and learning strategies should match the individual student's learning style.
However, hundreds of studies have been conducted, and there is no consistent or compelling evidence to back up the idea. Proponents and those financially invested in the concept offer many research studies, practically all of which sound convincing but feature poor research design or faulty conclusions on the part of researchers. None of the well-designed studies support the idea, though. In fact, several of these studies suggest that teaching a student using only their learning style often results in less learning than when the student uses multiple styles or strategies.
The idea of learning styles is rooted, though, in practical experience that people go about learning in different ways. There is consistent evidence that people have preferred or "go-to" learning behaviors, which are often referred to as learning preferences or strategies, that they tend to engage consistently, regardless of the content or context in which they are learning. This could be because:
they have learned very few strategies (limited knowledge),
they have used one or a few so repetitively they've become automatic (habituation),
they enjoy one or some over others (true preference), or
they've grown accustomed to using one or two that require the least amount of mental effort (economical).
Regardless of why or how, the result is that we see people consistently use the similar learning strategies over and over, so much so that it can give us the illusion that we have a defined style of learning. And despite the research that proves otherwise, we hold on to that idea.
Here are some good reference sources to learn about different models:
Types of Learning Style Models
6 Influential Models & Theories
In an attempt to synthesize many of the models, there does seem to be some common elements within the theories/models. In addition to the learning medium frequently noted (visual, auditory, etc.), there are also elements of the learning process, the mental processes involved, motivation, goals, and regulation involved as well. And this makes sense, because we know that learning is a complex process.
Here are 6 common shared elements:
Strategy medium - This includes visual, kinesthetic, auditory, or reading activities.
People show some preferences for one or more media, and the medium can influence learning effectiveness in combination with the nature of the content.
Some strategies may blend media, such as flash cards that could contain visual information, textual, or both.
Nature of Content - Examples include facts, theories, models, charts, graphs, dense, narrative, numbers, etc.
People show some preferences for types of content, and there is an interaction in terms of whether the strategy is more or less compatible with the type of content. Kinesthetic activities may not be terribly supportive of factual information, but could be supportive of numerical information.
Thought Process - This seems to involve a continuum between concrete processes and abstract processes (Concrete < > Abstract).
People show some preference towards a more concrete thought process (instructions, structured, timeline, etc.) or more abstract process (theory, models, inter-relationships, etc.)
Socio-Cognitive Context - People seem to have some preference related to the internal and external context related to a learning experience.
The internal context is the degree to which it involves more emotion (limbic) or more cerebral activity. People tend to find emotional or cerebral content more pleasurable or comfortable.
The external context is the degree to which the learning activity is independent or collaborative. People tend to have preferences in terms of learning independently or in more of a social setting.
Goal Orientation & Motivation - The learner's immediate and long-term goals influences learning effectiveness.
Immediate Goals include reproduction (testing), application (demonstration/practice), or understanding (making meaning of the content).
Long-term goals are often noted as ambivalent (no driving goal), evaluation (grading), credential (degree or certificate), or mastery.
Regulation also influences the effectiveness of learning strategies.
Regulation seems to be more of a continuum ranging from unregulated to external regulation to self-regulation (unregulated < external > internal) and likely involves a separate research area, metacognition (monitoring and regulation of one’s own thinking).
As you can see, with all of these elements playing a role, it's remarkably difficult to address every aspect in any single model or theory. Thus, it's helpful to worry less about a particular style and consider each of these elements in relationship to the others and utilize multiple strategies.
That said, there are some subjects more suited to certain instructional and learning strategies than others. Tennis for example. Reading lengthy texts or listening to recorded lectures about tennis isn't likely to yield better results than actually watching demonstrations of techniques and practicing them. Learning how historical events influence cultural norms will probably require some textual information and visual representations as opposed to physically walking along a timeline.
While the concept of learning styles may be rooted personal experience, the way we've translated that into models and theories of learning styles isn't valid; there is no evidence to support the idea of individual learning styles that require specific types of instruction. In truth, how we learn and how we decide on a learning strategy is very complex. It is important for students to remember this and practice using multiple learning strategies. Educators should also be aware of the limitations of this concept and to focus on providing a variety of teaching methods that can reach all learners effectively.
Additional resources:
Chick, N. (2010). Learning Styles. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/learning-styles-preferences/
Coffield, F., Moseley, D., Hall, E., & Ecclestone, K. (2004). Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning. A systematic and critical review. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre.
May, C. (2018). The Problem with "Learning Styles". Scientific American
Pashler, Harold, McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 9.3 103-119.