Learning Style Differences in Adult Students' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Classroom Techniques for Teaching Quantitative Skills

More than half of adults in the USA have quantitative literacy ratings at or below a basic level. This lack of literacy often becomes a barrier to employability. To overcome this barrier, adults are returning to college to improve their quantitative skills and complete an undergraduate education, often through an accelerated degree program. A problem, however, is that educators lack an understanding regarding how differences in learning style may affect the modality that adult students perceive as effective for developing quantitative skills in the accelerated format. A nonexperimental, causal-comparative design was conducted to examine modality effectiveness based on learning style. 7 2-day workshops were given which resulted in a sample of 46 valid responses. Adult learning style type was determined using the Kolb Learning Style Inventory. Modality effectiveness was measured using a Likert format survey. Multivariate analysis of variance showed that, when delivery and concept modalities were integrated within the workshop presentation, there was no significant difference in perceived effectiveness based on learning style type. However, when learning style was measured as a continuous variable, regression analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between learning style and the effectiveness of the reading modality, which took place outside the workshop. These findings support the importance of integrating modalities when presenting quantitative concepts to adults with diverse learning styles. Implications for positive social change include improvements in quantitative literacy that may reduce employment barriers.