Transitional Learning Style Preferences and Its Factors in Newer Generation Engineering Students

It is well established that learners have different learning preferences. There are multiple ways of characterising learners based on their learning preferences available in the literature. Even though there are efforts to design pedagogic practices considering the learning preferences of learners, it still demands further investigation. Further, what factors influence learning preferences of learners is also an interesting dimension of research. This paper discusses about our observations over changing learning preferences of learners over a period of time and investigating the influence of factors like gender, urban / rural divide and medium of instruction on learning style preferences of learners. This study is desirable as it will help design content as well pedagogy respecting the learning preferences. Learning style preferences of students of undergraduate engineering degree programs are used for the purpose of this study. Though there are different learning style assessment methods / tools available in the literature, because of availability of software tool and the familiarity of authors with the tool, Questionnaire from Index of Learning styles (ILS) by Richard M. Felder and Silverman is used in the study. It is evident from the results that learners' preferences are changing from verbal to visual, reflective to active, sequential to global and sensory to intitutive. The results of the study are presented in the paper and discussed.