Influence of Learning Style Heterogeneity on Cooperative Learning

Introduction Achievement and satisfaction with a cooperative learning project was assessed in a six-year experimental study in an introductory biology course. Comparisons were made between assigned groups composed of students with all the same Gregorc learning styles (homogeneous) versus groups composed of three or four Gregorc learning styles (heterogeneous). Project grades were not significantly different for homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. Nearly all answers given on a 15-question satisfaction survey also were not significantly different between groups, with the single exception of one question which indicated that heterogeneous groups felt that the workload for the project was more equitably distributed among the group. Significant correlations were found between grades, satisfaction, and perceived learning. Students with the highest course grades were the most satisfied with their own personal work and the least satisfied with the overall benefits of the cooperative learning project. Group project grades were received prior to completion of the satisfaction surveys and were found to be significantly correlated to many answers on the survey. Student perceptions of learning were correlated to nearly al l other questions on the survey and may be the driving factor to explain both achievement (grades) and satisfaction with cooperative learning. Cooperative learning may have numerous academic, social, and psychological benefits. Higher academic achievement has been reported in many studies at the primary, secondary, and higher education levels (for reviews, see, Slavin, 1995; Springer et al., 1999). Cooperatively working on tasks in a group can also improve interpersonal skills and social acceptance, as well as increase self-esteem and improve attitudes toward learning (McManus and Gettinger, 1996; Slavin, 1995). However, research also indicates a great variability in the realized benefits of cooperative learning, and some studies have not shown significant academic benefits over traditional, individual or competitive learning (Burron et al., 1993; Sherman, 1988; Slavin, 1983). Many factors may affect the success of cooperative learning. One important factor that has been advocated is the use of heterogeneous groups. Theory and research suggest that the most effective cooperative work groups include a mixture of students in terms of ability, gender, and ethnic background (Mandel, 2003; Webb, 1991). However, few researchers have investigated the effects of learning style heterogeneity in cooperative work groups. Many learning style models have been proposed to explain differences in how students perceive, process, interpret, and retain information. One of the most widely cited and well established models is that of Gregorc (1979), which uses two types of learning orientations (concrete and abstract) and two types of ordering orientations (sequential and random). These orientations are then combined to form four learning styles: Concrete Sequential (CS), Abstract Sequential (AS), Abstract Random (AR), and Concrete Random (CR) (Table 1). Most people show a preference for one or two of the learning styles and the Gregorc Style Delineator can be used as a selfadministered test to determine learning style preferences (Gregorc, 1982a). Learning styles of students can have a profound effect on how they approach learning tasks. Thus, the dynamics of a cooperative work group may be affected by the mixture of learning styles represented in a group. Having a diversity of learning styles could Influence of Learning Style Heterogeneity on Cooperative Learning