A Quantitative Analysis of Student Learning Styles and Teacher Teachings Strategies in a Mexican Higher Education Institution

 

A.L. Franzoni-Velazquez*¹, F. Cervantes-Pérez², S. Assar³

 

¹ Department of Computer Science, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Río Hondo #1, Progreso Tizapán, 01080, Mexico City, Mexico *E-mail: analida@itam.mx

² Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico (CCADET) Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico.

³ Institut TELECOM, Telecom Business School Département Systémes d'lnformation, 9, rue Charles Fourier, 91011 Evry, France.

 

ABSTRACT

Research on learning processes has shown that students tend to learn in different ways and prefer to use different teaching resources. The understanding of learning styles can be used to identify, and implement, better teaching and learning strategies, in order to allow students to acquire new knowledge in a more effective and efficient way. In this study we analyze similarities and differences in learning styles among students enrolled in computing courses, in engineering and social sciences programs at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). In addition, we also analyze similarities and differences among the teaching strategies shown by their corresponding teachers. A comparative analysis on student learning profiles and course outcomes, allow us to suggest that, despite academic program differences, there are strong similarities among the students learning styles, as well as among the teaching styles of their professors. Seemingly, a consistent pattern of how these students learn also exists: Active, Sensitive, Visual and Sequential. At the end of the paper, we discuss how these findings might have significant implications in developing effective pedagogic strategies, as well as didactic multimedia based materials for each one of these academic programs.

Keywords: Computing engineering, learning styles, teaching strategies and didactic strategies.

 

RESUMEN

Investigaciones sobre procesos de aprendizaje han mostrado que los estudiantes tienden a aprender en diferentes maneras y que prefieren utilizar diferentes recursos de enseñanza. El entender los estilos de aprendizaje puede servir para identificar, e implantar, mejores estrategias de enseñanza y aprendizaje, de tal forma que los estudiantes adquieran nuevo conocimiento de manera más efectiva y eficiente. Aquí, se analizan similitudes y diferencias entre estilos de aprendizaje de estudiantes inscritos en cursos de cómputo, en programas de Ingeniería y Ciencias Sociales del Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). Adicionalmente, se analizan similitudes y diferencias en estrategias de enseñanza de sus correspondientes profesores. Un análisis comparativo sobre perfiles de aprendizaje de los estudiantes y los resultados obtenidos en los cursos, sugiere que existen grandes similitudes entre los estilos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes, y las estrategias de enseñanza de sus profesores, a pesar de las diferencias entre sus programas académicos. También existe un patrón consistente de cómo estos estudiantes aprenden: Activo, Sensible, Visual, y Secuencial. En la última parte de este artículo se discute como estos hallazgos podrían tener una implicación significativa en el desarrollo de estrategias pedagógicas efectivas, y de materiales didácticos multimedia específicos, para cada programa educativo.

 

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