Abstract:

In the university context teachers usually design different learning activities which may result in unequal results. Among many others, one of the factors that should be considered is personal thinking mode, which is related to the way each person reasons and learns.

In this context a study was done in University Jaume I in which the thinking mode of students from technical and non-technical degrees was measured in order to compare them (Chulvi et al, 2013). The results showed that students from industrial design show higher percentages in profiles D, and B; whereas in businesses administration B is the strongest thinking mode and in industrial engineering A and B reach the highest positions. Consequently, a difference according to the degree chosen has been observed. In the present study new data have been collected in order to include students from the Faculty of human and social science and to increase the number of students from other degrees and consequently compare the results according to the branches of knowledge.

The 4 brain model test of Herrmann (Herrmann 1991, Herrmann 1996) is applied in order to classify the students in profiles, applying a reduced version of the Herrmann 4 model brain test was applied. This version, developed by Jiménez-Velez (Jiménez Vélez 2003) is composed of 40 items that allow identifying the brain dominances in a quicker and easier way than in the original one. The Herrmann model of brain divides the brain in left and right hemispheric and in upper (frontal) and lower (limbic) areas, thus considering four areas and four brain profiles:
Profile A (upper and left): logical, analytical, fact-based and quantitative
Profile B (lower, left): organized, sequential, planned and detailed
Profile D (upper, right): holistic, intuitive, integrating, synthesizing
Profile C (lower, right): interpersonal, feeling-based, kinesthetic, and emotional

In order to obtained new data, the simplified Hermann model test has therefore been applied to new students from the degree of industrial design and businesses administration. And students from the degree of journalism and from computational math have been also analysed. The results obtained showed, again, that the main dominant profile is different depending on the degree to which the students belong.
- In the degree of Journalism the main profile is B, followed by D.
- The degree of Industrial Design Engineering the main profile is heterogeneous.
- In the degree of Computational Math the main profile is A.
- Profile B, is the most common in Business Administration.

This results can help teachers to understand how their students think and, therefore, to develop learning activities in a more successful way.

References:
[1] Chulvi Ramos, V.; Felip Miralles, F.; García García, C.; Galán Serrano, J.; Mulet Escrig, E. ¿Existe correlación entre los perfiles de los estudiantes y la elección de su especialdad?; ,XVII Congreso Internacional de Dirección e Ingeniería de Proyectos,2013 Logroño,pp 1856-1865
[2] Herrmann, N. (1991). The creative brain*. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 25(4), 275-295.
[3] Herrmann, N. (1996). The whole brain business book McGraw-Hill New York, NY.
[4] Jiménez Vélez, C. A. (2003). Neuropedagogía, lúdica y competencias Coop. Editorial Magisterio.

Keywords:

Group formation, industrial design teaching, thinking brain style.