Kolb Learning Styles Inventory (LSI)

Kolb’s experiential learning theory is a development of the work of Rogers, Jung, Dewey, Lewin and Piaget (Pickworth & Schoeman, 2000). These theorists emphasize the need for grounding learning in experience. Kolb believes that the learning styles of individuals are unlikely to change in the long run, implying that individual learning styles are stable, a sentiment shared by Dunn (Cuthbert, 2005).

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Kolb’s theory emphasizes the importance of experience in learning. His model, called “experiential learning”, describes learning as a process (Kolb, 1984, 1985). Experiential learning is a holistic approach, since it addresses cognitive, emotional and physical aspects of learners. On the basis of this approach, Kolb developed a Learning Style Inventory, designed according to how learners perceive and process information (Kolb, 1984, 1985).

The process of experiential learning follows a cycle of learning which starts with the attainment of Concrete Experience (CE), followed by Reflective Observation (RO) on that experience. From these insights, a theory or Abstract Conceptualisation (AC) is constructed. This is then tested through Active Experimentation (AE). Learners who score high on CE on the inventory are those who rely heavily on feeling-based judgement. They are sensitive towards people, that is, in their approach to learning they tend to be oriented more towards their peers than to authority figures. This means that they benefit more from engaging with fellow students than with lecturers. These students tend to be extroverts.

Students who score more on RO on the inventory have a tentative, impartial and reflective approach towards learning. They rely more on being careful when making judgements, viewing things from different perspectives, and searching for meaning in things. Students who score high on AC, on the other hand, rely more on the logical analysis of ideas, on systematic planning, logical thinking and rational evaluation. They prefer to deal more with objects and symbols than with people. They learn best in impersonal, authority-directed situations. A student with a high score on AE tends to be more practical and hands-on, relies more on experimentation, is a risk

taker, and can influence people and events through action. This student learns best when involved with projects, homework, small group discussions, and so on.

With experimentation, new concrete experiences surface, therefore requiring the cycle to resume (Allinson & Hayes, 1988). Different abilities are vital for each stage of the cycle. This then brings about the issue of people having different abilities and undertaking learning differently, and hence having different learning styles. Kolb classifies students’ learning in two ways: (1) how they take in information, and (2) how they process information. The four types of learning styles identified by Kolb (1985) are:

 Diverger

Students with this learning style are imaginative, reflective and creative. They see long term implications of things. They view concrete situations from different angles and sort the information into a meaningful whole. They are people oriented. Diverger is a combination of CE and RO.

 Assimilator

Students with assimilator learning style learn best through reflective thinking and taking risks. They process information through figurative representation and thinking. They are concerned with ideas and abstract concepts. They pay attention to detail and like to do one thing at a time. Assimilators are a combination of AC and RO.

 Converger

Students converger as a learning style learn best when they have to think, analyse and apply new ideas to real life. They are task oriented and want to get results. They organise information so that

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it focuses on a particular problem centred on practical thinking. They follow instructions with care and accuracy. They use a combination of AC and AE.

 Accommodator

Students with this learning style ask lots of questions, like taking risks and like to experiment with different techniques. They like to get involved in new experiences. They rely more on others for information rather than their own analytical abilities. They solve problems in an intuitive trial-and error fashion. Accommodators use a combination of CE and AE. The instrument Kolb uses to assess learning styles is called the Learning Style Inventory (LSI). The LSI consists of statements which are grouped in nine sets of four.

The students rank the statements according to how best they describe the students learning orientation. The ranking produce scores that relate to the four learning modes; CE, RO, AC, and AE. The LSI is a self-scoring questionnaire in a form of a ‘tick box’, which takes about thirty minutes to complete. The LSI describes how individuals learn, and how they deal with ideas and everyday situations.

A criticism of Kolb’s learning style instrument is that it does not take into consideration different cultural experiences and situations, and can therefore only be used in a limited range of cultures. The idea of following a sequence, stages or steps, is not in line with experience (Cuthbert, 2005). In reality, steps, sequence or stages can be jumped or can take place simultaneously. Also Kolb’s instrument is said to focus on a particular learning style; it does not cater for other situations, such as memorization and information assimilation (Markham, 2004). Kolb’s learning style inventory

(LSI) has also been found to be unsatisfactory in reliability and validity. However this has been refuted with the suggestion that the latest version had a proven reliability (Cuthbert, 2005). This could not be considered for adaptation in this research because some studies have already been done in South Africa using Kolb (Van Rensburg, 2002; Vawda, 2005).