Learning Style and Preference for Online Learning Support: Individual Quizzes versus Study Groups

Forty-eight college students participated in an ABAB analysis; the A condition was online study groups and the B condition was individual online quizzes. The effect of A and B on student satisfaction and achievement was determined. The Index of Learning Styles categorized students on four dimensions of learning style (active-reflective, visual-verbal, sequential-global, sensing-intuitive). Active learners expressed preference for face-to-face study groups rather than online study groups and for online quizzes rather than pencil-and-paper quizzes. Visual learners expressed preference for online quizzes rather than online study groups. Such preferences were validated by decreased achievement under the online study group condition. At the college level, students are aware of their learning style and the conditions that facilitate their learning. Instructional applications of computer technology frequently augment college student in-class learning and purport to support achievement on in-class examinations (Crook, 2001; Grabe & Sigler, 2002; Shale, 2002). Practice tests and quizzes are popular forms of online support, reportedly helping students evaluate their learning and focus study effort accordingly (Fritz, 2003; Haberyan, 2003; Herring, 1999; Itoh & Hannon, 2002). Derouza and Fleming (2003) compared undergraduates who completed quizzes online with students who took traditional paper-and-pencil quizzes. Comparison of in-class examination marks revealed that students who took the quizzes online significantly outperformed students who took pencil-and-paper quizzes. In addition to practice quizzes, online study groups are increasingly popular forms of support for student learning (Killedar, 2002; Tait & Mills, 2003). Crook (2002) suggested that “new technology may become a lever on what is otherwise a failure by students to take advantage of collaborative opportunities” (p. 66) and reported that when students were assigned to an online study group, “71% said that it was helpful or very helpful” (p. 75). Johnson and Johnson (2005) compared the relative effectiveness of two study strategies in online groups, reciprocal peer questions and mnemonic devices. While there was no significant difference in academic achievement between students in the two study conditions, “students in the reciprocal peer questioning group reported higher levels of satisfaction with the virtual study experience” (p. 2025). Although online forms of learning support such as practice quizzes and study groups are commonly provided to students (Jensen, Johnson, & Johnson, 2002; Jensen, Moore, & Hatch, 2002; Miller & Lu, 2003), the benefits of such support are not consistently reported (Perlman, 2003). This may be the consequence of failure to consider individual student differences in relation to various forms of online learning support. Learning style is an important individual difference variable in traditional instructional contexts and may be of even greater consequence in online learning environments that often require complex combinations of sensory and cognitive processing (Subrahmanyam, Kraut, Greenfield, & Gross, 2001).