Learning Styles Assessments have become a popular tool in education, promising to personalize learning by identifying how individuals learn best. The concept suggests that tailoring instruction to a student’s specific learning style—such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic—will lead to optimal learning outcomes. Proponents argue that understanding these preferences through learning style assessments is crucial for effective teaching. These assessments typically evaluate an individual’s preferred methods of information intake, like visual aids versus spoken words, or preferred mental activities, such as analytical thinking versus listening. Despite the widespread adoption of learning styles in educational settings from kindergarten to university levels, and a booming industry providing related tests and teacher training, a critical question remains: Is there solid scientific evidence to support the use of learning styles assessment in education?
Our in-depth review sought to determine whether the claims behind learning-styles-based instruction are actually backed by scientific research. Specifically, we investigated the “meshing hypothesis,” the most common idea associated with learning styles. This hypothesis proposes that instruction is most effective when delivered in a format that aligns with a learner’s identified learning style. For example, a so-called “visual learner” should supposedly learn best when information is presented visually. To validate this approach, rigorous experimental studies are necessary, and these studies must meet very specific criteria to be considered credible.
To properly validate learning styles assessment in education, research must follow a stringent experimental design. Firstly, students need to be categorized into different learning style groups based on an assessment. Following this, students from each group should be randomly assigned to different instructional methods. Crucially, all students then need to be evaluated using the same standardized final test. The key to demonstrating the effectiveness of tailoring instruction based on learning styles lies in observing a specific interaction pattern between learning style and instructional method. This means that for learning styles assessment to be valid, an instructional method that works best for one learning style group should not be the most effective method for a different learning style group. In other words, the optimal teaching approach should vary depending on the student’s learning style.
While our review of existing literature confirmed that individuals express preferences for how they like to receive information, and that people possess varying aptitudes for different types of thinking and information processing, we found a significant gap in the evidence. We found virtually no evidence supporting the crucial interaction pattern required to validate the educational applications of learning styles assessment. Although a vast amount of literature exists on learning styles, surprisingly few studies employ the rigorous experimental methodology necessary to test their validity in educational contexts. Furthermore, among the studies that did use appropriate methods, several produced results that directly contradicted the popular meshing hypothesis. This suggests that matching teaching methods to supposed learning styles, as identified by a learning styles assessment, may not actually enhance learning.
Therefore, our conclusion, based on the current body of research, is that there is insufficient evidence to justify incorporating learning styles assessments into general educational practice. Given the limited resources available in education, it would be more beneficial to focus on implementing other evidence-based educational strategies, of which there is a growing number. It is important to note that the lack of robust studies doesn’t mean that all concepts of learning styles are inherently flawed. Many have simply not been rigorously tested. Further research into the application of learning styles assessment in instruction may be warranted in specific cases, but this research must adhere to methodologically sound experimental designs to provide meaningful and reliable results. For now, educators might be better served by focusing on well-supported pedagogical approaches rather than relying on the unproven promises of learning styles assessment.
