Style Differences in Cognition, Learning, and Management

This book aims to mark fifteen years of contributions to the field of style research in cognition and learning presented at the annual conference of the European Learning Styles Information Network. The style field is a multidisciplinary, global community made up of researchers in several domains of knowledge including education, psychology, business, computer science, information systems, management, human resources and other related fields. The book will be relevant for readers who are interested in differences in thinking and learning, covering a wide range of style-related themes with appeal to readers seeking an international and interdisciplinary perspective. Interested practitioners will include professionals working in the areas of HR Management, Organizational Learning, Business Management and all phases of Education. The application of style differences, for example, impacts widely upon work and human performance in areas of policy-making, team-management and project development (sports, social agency, and medicine). New or alternative research paradigms facilitating revision and consensus in the field of style differences are presented. The aim of integrating research and practice is developed to achieve consensual theory for style differences in human performance. Style Differences in Performance is a timely and field-defining volume that will change the way academics and practitioners across international and disciplinary boundaries think and talk about the field of learning style and its implications for human achievement.

Steve Rayner is Professor of Education at Oxford Brookes University (UK). He is an internationally recognised scholar in the study of individual differences in learning, leadership and the management of inclusive education. Publications include work in the study of cognitive style; personalizing pedagogies associated with style-led learning; educationists' learning leadership in doctoral study; and investigating academic leadership in the 'UK University'. Eva Cools, PhD, works in the People and Organization department of Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Belgium. She is Research Officer of the European Learning Styles Information Network (ELSIN). Her current research activities focus upon cognitive styles, person-environment fit, styles and learning within the context of management education.

1. Setting the Scene: The Journey toward a Paradigm Shift Stephen Rayner and Eva Cools Part 1: The Theory of Style Differences 2. Determining Cognitive Styles: Historical Perspectives and Directions for Further Research Valentyna Moskvina and Maria Kozhevnikov 3. Basic Psychometrics for Model Building and the Validation of Cognitive Style John Roodenburg and Esther M. Roodenburg 4. The Theory of Mental Self-Government Grows Up: Where Has it Led the Field After 21 Years? Li-Fang Zhang and Weiqiao Fan 5. The Learning Flexibility Index: Assessing Contextual Flexibility in Learning Style. Garima Sharma and David A. Kolb 6. Further Understanding Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Review on Longitudinal Research Using Vermunt's Learning Pattern Model Gert Vanhournout, Vincent Donche, David Gijbels And Peter Van Petegem Part 2: Personal Diversity: Style Differences in Thinking, Learning, and Knowledge Acquisition 7. Assessing the Distribution of Learning and Adaptive Styles in an MBA Program Richard E. Boyatzis and Charalampos Mainemelis 8. Kolb's Learning Styles and Approaches to Learning Through the Use of Students' Critical Questions Patrícia Almeida, Helena Pedrosa De Jesus and Mike Watts 9. Relating Knowledge Structures to Learning Styles and University Teaching Ian M. Kinchin 10. Illustrating a Complementary Paradigm for Styles Research: From a Third-Person to a Second-Person Perspective Melodie Rosenfeld and Sherman Rosenfeld 11. Teaching Secondary Teachers About Style: Should We Do It? Elizabeth R. Peterson, Sarah S. Carne and Sarah J. Freear 12. Patterns in Student Learning and Teacher Learning: Similarities and Differences Jan D. Vermunt 13. Enhancing Feedback Practice: A Personal Learning Styles Pedagogy Approach Carol Evans and Michael Waring Part 3: Personal Diversity: Style Differences in Life-Long Learning and Workplace Contexts 14. Learning Styles and Personal Pedagogy in the Virtual Worlds of Learning Glenn Hardaker, Annie Jeffery and A'ishah A. Sabki 15. Cultures of Learning: Cultures of Style Zarina M. Charlesworth 16. Personalizing Web Environments on Cognitive Style: The Effect on Users' Performance Nikos Tsianos, Panagiotis Germanakos, Zacharias Lekkas and Costas Mourlas 17. Improving Business Education for the 21st Century: The Role of Cognitive Styles Kristin Backhaus 18. Learning-Styles-Based Differentiating Instruction for At-Risk Students: Rationale, Research Documentation, Assessment Tools, and Alternative Approaches Rita Dunn and Andrea Honigsfeld 19. Style Theory into Practice in the Secondary School: Inclusive Classrooms for Vulnerable Learners Tilly Mortimore Part 4: Summing Up: The Journey Continues... 20. Researching Style: More of the Same or Moving Forward? Eva Cools and Stephen Rayner