Pedagogy and professionalization: examining the learning styles of Ontario police officers

In transmitting occupational and professional knowledge and norms, education and training play a prominent role in the reproduction, performance, and operational integrity of police services. Despite this significance, police education and training remain neglected areas of research. Existing studies have examined learning style preferences across various occupations and student groups; however, members of law enforcement have not been among those examined. This means the policing sector has not utilized the available knowledge and tools in educational research to improve its own educational and training processes. Identifying preferred learning styles can assist in developing delivery methods that align with how students learn best, increasing comprehension, retention, and on-the-job performance. To determine the preferred learning style of police officers, the VARK Learning Style Inventory Questionnaire was administered to 108 full-time, active, sworn officers in Ontario to ascertain whether there is a predominant learning style among personnel and whether there are any variations based on gender, age, tenure, and education level. Interviews were also conducted to collect additional information about the learning experiences and preferences of police officers. The results of the questionnaire revealed that—regardless of age, gender, tenure, or education level—the preferred learning style among sworn police officers in Ontario is kinesthetic. This implies that learning style preferences are more profession dependent than individualistic or situational. Given these findings, this study provides recommendations to police forces to improve the educational process for both learners and instructors.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Criminology and Social Justice

Grantor

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Frade, Brittany

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Walsh, James

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10155/1985

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ontariotechu.scholaris.ca:10155/1985