The serious limitations of ‘learning style’

This article reviews some aspects of the concept of ‘learning style’, and appraises some evidence concerning its measurement. Bruce McMillan argues that while there is a common-sense basis for teachers’ use of the concept, there is no justification for the implication that the term represents a fixed and readily measurable characteristic of students. There are a number of serious risks in the assumption that an ‘objective’ measure of learning style can, or should, determine a teaching strategy.