A conceptual diagnostic learning styles questionnaire framework

Education and training is widely acknowledged to be one of the key factors forleveraging organisational success. In the specific context of education andtraining perse, 'traditional' education and training delivery approaches are nowgoing through a paradigm shift in order to provide learners with a better overalllearning experience. In this respect, Personalised Learning Environments(PLEs) are now being used to specifically address learners' needs andpreferences (learning styles) using mature technological solutions such asmanaged Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). Moreover, evidence garneredto date has shown that learners can learn better with a bespoke PLE, as thedeployment of teaching and learning material is augmented towards theirindividual needs. Therefore, from an organisational perspective, efficiency gainshave also been acknowledged, as learners are more readily engaging inmanaged learning environments - hence are generally more productive. In thisrespect, there is an exigent need for organisations to envelop these newapproaches into their organisational strategy, so that business strategies andgoals can be more efficiently executed. However, part of this process requiresdecision-makers to fully understand the core nuances and interdependencies offunctions and processes within the organisation, along with Critical SuccessFactors (CSFs) and barriers. For example, it is important to appreciate howorganisational strategy 'drives' education and training through organisationalsystems and procedures in order to procure organisational success.This research developed a conceptual Diagnostic Learning StylesQuestionnaire (DLSQ) Framework to help organisations better leverageorganisation resources more effectively. The core raison d'etre for this researchis to help key decision-makers diagnose learners' learning styles in order tobetter align the learning process with learners' needs, whilst maximising thedeployment of teaching and learning resources. In this respect, a Positivistapproach was taken to develop this framework by amalgamating three widelyacknowledgedmodels of learning styles using a structured case studymethodology. Research findings identified four principal learning stylescategories (A, B, C, D), along with six interrelated dependencies (BusinessStrategy; Pedagogy; Process; Resources; Systems Development; Evaluation).Stage I of the case study used learners as the main unit of analysis tostatistically explore and confirm the validity and reliability of the DiagnosticQuestionnaire (DQ), and the correlation of the DQ with the existing models oflearning styles. Stage II of the development process was used to captureorganisational requirements (pedagogical effectiveness and core organisationaldrivers) in order to help develop the holistic framework. Research findingsindicated Cronbach's alpha results ranging from 0.57-0.80 for the learningstyles within the DQ. Furthermore, the validation and testing process withdomain experts highlighted that the overall DLSQ Framework had the potentialto help organisations better optimise, structure and align their resources tooperational goals. In this respect, this work provides a deeper understandinginto the realms of organisational theory and the foundations of strategicmanagement.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral (Level 8)

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Khuzzan, SMS

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1337073

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1337073