DIGITAL LIBRARY
PERSISTENCE OF QUESTIONNAIRE DATA ON LEARNING STYLES, LEARNING STRATEGIES AND PERSONALITY TRAITS
Technical University of Applied Sciences Regensburg (OTH) (GERMANY)
About this paper:
Appears in: ICERI2024 Proceedings
Publication year: 2024
Pages: 6310-6319
ISBN: 978-84-09-63010-3
ISSN: 2340-1095
doi: 10.21125/iceri.2024.1524
Conference name: 17th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation
Dates: 11-13 November, 2024
Location: Seville, Spain
Abstract:
In the context of learning, questionnaires are carried out to gain information about learners. This learner profile has various benefits, like adapting the learning content, promoting of self-reflection, or increasing motivation in learning and therefore better learning results. Some researchers take the results of such questionnaires as ground truth or trust them blindly. Examining how persistent questionnaires are, asking the same questions twice, and comparing the results is a way to prove or falsify this statement.

Our research procedure compares the results of three different questionnaires. The first questionnaire is the ILS (index of learning styles) according to the Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model (FSLSM) with about 44 questions. Learning strategies are examined with the LIST-K questionnaire consisting of 39 questions after Klingsieck. The third and last questionnaire is about personality traits. With only ten questions, Rammstedt et al. describe the BFI-10 questionnaire for personality traits. To compare results, the same study with the three named questionnaires is carried out twice with three to four months in between. The sample includes 35 students in their bachelor studies taking the course Software Engineering in a blended learning format. After collecting the questionnaire data from the students, a comparison is made in two different ways. First, we compare the data points based on the given answers. Second, a comparison is made based on the calculated questionnaire results because each of the three questionnaires has its own analysis method. For example, the analysis method of the ILS delivers as a result four integers representing the four characteristics of a learning style, while LIST-K makes a factor analysis. The results of the paper show that both the given answers and the calculated questionnaire results differ. Not one student has given the same answer inside each questionnaire with causes, like a change of learning style, learning strategy, and personality traits, or not filling in conscientiously.
Keywords:
Learning style, learning strategy, personality traits, questionnaire study.