DIFFERENT CONTEXTS
5.3 Discussion & conclusion
This section will highlight the significant results presented in section (5.2.2), and section (5.2.3).
5.3.1
The relation between VARK cohorts and podcast preferences in
different contexts
There are two possibilities with regards to the relation between VARK cohorts and podcast preferences, but only one of the arguments is credible. First, there may be a relationship between some VARK cohorts and podcast preferences in different contexts, but there is no statistically significant relationship due to the limited number of participants. Second, there is no relationship between VARK cohorts and podcast preferences in different contexts, as Kirschner’s survey study suggests (Kirschner, 2017). Both arguments will be discussed below in more detail.
First, there seems to be a relationship between the aural and read/write cohorts for rich and lean podcast respectively in different contexts. Figure 5.3 shows the median scores of mobile learners from two VARK cohorts, aural and read/write, compared with the average of all VARK cohorts in different contexts. The figure shows the level of podcast richness preferred by students in the aural and read/write cohorts compared with the mean of all VARK cohorts in different contexts.
Richer podcasts are preferred by students with the aural preference in both cultures in many contexts compared with other VARK cohorts. This is probably because richer podcasts, such as Vodcast, have audio content which students with aural preferences are comfortable with. On the other hand, students in the Read/Write cohorts in both cultures are looking for lean podcasts, such as those that are text heavy, or are perhaps less likely to pursue m-learning in different contexts. A Mann-Whitney U test was run to determine if there were differences
between Australian and Saudi students in the read/write and aural cohorts in all contexts. The test shows no significant difference between the Australian and Saudi aural cohorts in all contexts, likewise, for the read/write cohort, which supports the claim that the aural and read/write cohorts in both cultures show similar preferences.
Similarly, a study conducted by (William A. Drago, 2004) shows that students with the read/write preference are not very open to online delivery of educational materials. Drago’s study also shows that other VARK cohorts, such as aural, are more open to using online materials. These findings suggest the need for more research into how students with read/write learning preferences approach e- learning and m-learning. Also, it is important to address this issue in this study by ensuring that there are sufficient participants and that interviews are used to provide a deeper understanding of their experiences.
Figure 5.3. Mobile learners with aural and read/write preference compared with average of all VARK groups. The preference of podcast richness presented on Y-axis, 0: no preference, 1: low preference (e.g. text), 2: moderate preference (e.g. audio), 3: high preference (e.g. Vodcast), 4: very high preference (e.g. multiple podcasts). The 12 contexts are presented on X-axis as follow: 1: (quiet&alone), 2: (busy alone),3: (busy with family) ,4: (busy with friend) ,5: (busy with classmate),6: (walking alone),7: (walking with family),8: (walking with friend),9: (walking with classmate),10: (vehicle with family),11: (vehicle with friend),12: (vehicle with classmate).
Second, there is no relationship between learning styles and m-learning preferences. Kirschner (2017) has reviewed the impact of well-known learning styles studies in education and concludes that all the studies reviewed failed to find a relationship between learning styles and preferences for learning materials. However, Kirschner’s study has not considered VARK, which makes the first argument (there is a relationship between VARK and m-learning preferences)
5.3.2
The preferences of VARK cohorts across contexts
Some VARK cohorts show significant differences in preferences for podcast richness across contexts. These VARK cohorts are visual, VARK1, VARK2, and Kinesthetic, which display more flexibility or fluctuations in preferences across contexts compared with other VARK cohorts.
Visual mobile learners from both cultures have significant differences in preferences across the contexts. Because they are visual learners, they tend to choose a richer podcast. This is consistent with the results of a study be (Ibem, Oni, Adisa, Samuel, & Oyemomi, 2017), which shows that visual learners prefer rich podcasts, such as video. Also, visual learners have been shown to have a positive attitude towards e-learning and m-learning, as they rated mobile devices, such as iPods, to be an important device for learning (Peter Richardson, 2013), and were open to being using ICT in learning (Hsu, 2016). Consequently, visual mobile learners prefer richer podcasts in many contexts.
As with visual learners, VARK2 learners are looking for richer podcasts in formal learning contexts, however there are significant differences when in informal learning contexts. VARK2 mobile learners are not happy until they have been presented with information in most of their preferred podcast types. They take more time to accumulate data from every podcast type and, subsequently, they frequently have a more profound and more extensive understanding of the material. They might be seen as slackers or moderate deliverers. However some might be simply assembling all the data before acting, and their learning experience may be superior because of the breadth of comprehension.
Kinesthetic learners have shown a preference for richer podcasts in certain contexts while in other contexts they prefer lean or no podcasts at all. (Ibem et al., 2017) have shown that Kinesthetic learners prefer richer podcasts such as video. Also, Kinesthetic learners have been shown to have a positive attitude towards e- learning and m-learning (Hsu, 2016). Kinesthetic learners have a cognitive preference which privileges experience and practice. Thus, it is recommended that future studies should consider the prior experience of Kinesthetic learners with any educational technology.
VARK1 mobile learners are defined as being: ‘They are context specific. They choose a single mode to suit the occasion or situation.’ This definition explains why mobile learners in the VARK1 cohort choose different podcast richness levels to suit their current learning context.