Current Learning Styles of Undergraduate Animal-Studies Students in a 2-Year and 4-Year Degree Program

Understanding how students perceive and internalize information, termed learning style, is thought to be important in delivering a quality education. We compared Animal Sciences students from the University of Florida (UF) to those enrolled in the Zoo Animal Technology Program at Santa Fe College (S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:NACTA journal 2015-03, Vol.59 (1), p.75-80
Main Authors: Mortensen, C.J., Thoron, A.C., Miot, J.K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal science
Cognitive style
College students
Educational Quality
Higher education
Learner Engagement
Methods
Science education
Studies
Study and teaching
Teaching methods
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Summary:Understanding how students perceive and internalize information, termed learning style, is thought to be important in delivering a quality education. We compared Animal Sciences students from the University of Florida (UF) to those enrolled in the Zoo Animal Technology Program at Santa Fe College (SFC). We administered two learning style instruments: the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and the Gergorc Style Delineator (GSD). The GEFT scored students into field-independent, neutral, or field-dependent learning styles. The GSD scored students into four learning styles: Concrete-Sequential (CS), Abstract-Sequential (AS), Abstract-Random (AR) and Concrete-Random (CR). With the GEFT, 63% of UF students indicated a field-in-dependent learning style, compared to 19% field-dependent and 18% neutral (P < 0.01). Of SFC students, 46% indicated a field-independent learning style, to 34% field-dependent and 20% neutral (P < 0.01). Within the GSD, 49% of UF students indicated a CS learning style compared to only 21% CR, 15% AS and 25% AR (P < 0.01). Of SFC students, no significant differences were found amongst GSD learning styles. These results demonstrated the demographics and learning preferences of students currently enrolled in two animal-centered curriculums at a two-year and four-year institution of higher learning.
ISSN:0149-4910