Reproduced from work of Peter Honey and Alan Mumford 1983/6
This questionnaire is designed to establish your preferred learning style(s). During your life you will have developed ‘habits’ that help you benefit from some learning experiences more than others.
As most habits are unconscious, the questionnaire will help you to pinpoint your preferred way(s) of learning so that you are in a better position to select learning experiences that suit your particular style.
Of course the answers may also prompt you to develop new personal learning styles and appreciate the preferred learning styles of others.
The questionnaire has no time limit though it will probably take you around 10 – 15 minutes to complete. The accuracy of the outcome depends on how honest you are in your responses. There are no right or wrong answers.
As you work through the statements, if you agree more than you disagree with a statement, then check the box next to it. If you disagree more than you agree with a statement then leave it unchecked.
Learning Styles Questionnaire Scoring
You score one point for each item you checked. There are no points for items you left unchecked. The table below indicates which statements were checked.
0
ACTIVIST
0
REFLECTOR
0
THEORIST
0
PRAGMATIST
ACTIVIST | REFLECTOR | THEORIST | PRAGMATIST | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | Very Strong Preference |
19 | ||||
18 | 19 | |||
19 | ||||
19 | 18 | |||
16 | ||||
18 | ||||
15 | 17 | |||
14 | ||||
13 | 18 | 16 | 17 | |
12 | 17 | 15 | 16 | Strong Preference |
16 | ||||
11 | 15 | 14 | 15 | |
10 | 14 | Moderate Preference | ||
9 | ||||
8 | 13 | 12 | 13 | |
7 | 12 | 11 | 12 | |
6 | 11 | 10 | 11 | Low Preference |
5 | 10 | 9 | 10 | |
4 | 9 | 8 | 9 | |
3 | 8 | 7 | 8 | Very Low Preference |
7 | 6 | 7 | ||
6 | 5 | 6 | ||
2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | |
4 | 3 | 4 | ||
1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | |
2 | 2 | |||
1 | 1 | 1 | ||
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Learning Styles - General Descriptions
Activists
Enjoy the here and now
Open-minded
“I’ll try anything once” is their motto
Tend to dash in
Like short-term crises – fir fighting
Use brainstorming techniques
Look for the next bit of excitement
Thrive on challenge
Bored with detail
Can hog the limelight
Life and soul of parties
Strengths
- Flexible and open minded
- Happy to have a go
- Happy to be exposed to new situations
- Optimistic about anything new and therefore unlikely to resist change
Weaknesses
- Tendency to take the immediately obvious action without thinking
- Often take unnecessary risks
- Tendency to do too much themselves and hog the limelight
- Rush into action without sufficient preparation
- Get bored with implementation/consolidation
Reflectors
Stand back and ponder
Observe from different perspectives
Chew things over before making decisions
Thorough analysis of important data
Delay reaching conclusions as long as possible
Cautious
“Look before you leap”, “sleep on it” is their motto
Take a back seat at meetings
Listen to others before contributing
Enjoy observing others
Low profile adopted
Slightly distant – unruffled air about them
Acts in interest of wider picture
Strengths
- Careful
- Thorough and methodical
- Thoughtful
- Good at listening to others and assimilating information
- Rarely jump to conclusions
Weaknesses
- Tendency to hold back from direct participation
- Slow to make up their minds and reach a decision
- Tendency to be too cautious and not take enough risks
- Not assertive – they are not particularly forthcoming and tend to have difficulty with small talk
Theorists
Make theories with the data they collect
Logical – step-by-step approach
Can assimilate lots of disparate facts into a coherent whole
Perfectionists – like things tidy
Keen on assumptions, theories, models, and systems
“If it’s logical it’s good” is their motto
Ask questions like – “does it make sense?” “how does this fit with that?”
Detached, analytical
Maximises certainty
Uncomfortable with subjectivity
Uncomfortable with lateral thinking
Don’t like flippant comments
Strengths
- Logical ‘vertical’ thinkers
- Rational and objective
- Good at asking probing questions
- Disciplined approach
Weaknesses
- Restricted in lateral thinking
- Low tolerance for uncertainty, disorder and ambiguity
- Intolerant of anything subjective or intuitive
- Full of ‘shoulds, oughts and musts’
Pragmatists
Keen to try out new ideas in practice
Search for new ideas
Like experimenting
Get on with things and act quickly
“Let’s not beat around the bush”, “if it works it’s good” are their motto’s
Can be impatient with open-ended discussions
Practical
Down to earth
Respond to problems as challenges
Strengths
- Keen to test things in practice
- Practical, down to earth, realistic
- Business-like, get straight to the point
- Technique oriented
Weaknesses
- Tendency to reject anything without an obvious application
- Not very interested in theory based principles
- Tendency to seize the first expedient solution to a problem
- Impatient with what they see as waffle
- On balance, task orientated not people orientated
Activists
Activists learn best from activities where:
- There are new experiences/problems/opportunities from which to learn
- They can engross themselves in short ‘here and now’ activities, such as business games, competitive teamwork tasks, and role-playing exercises
- There is excitement/drama/crises and things chop and change with a range of diverse activities to tackle
- They have a lot of the limelight/high visibility i.e. they can ‘chair’ meetings, lead discussions, and give presentations
- They are allowed to generate ideas without constraints of policy or structure or feasibility
- They are thrown in at the deep end with a task they think is difficult i.e. when set a challenge with inadequate resources and adverse conditions
- They are involved with other people – bouncing ideas off them, solving problems as part of a team
- It is appropriate to ‘have a go’
Activists learn least from and may react against activities where:
- Learning involves a passive role i.e. listening to lectures, monologues, explanations, statements of how things should be done, reading, watching
- They are asked to stand back and not be involved
- They are required to assimilate, analyse and interpret lots of ‘messy’ data
- They are required to engage in solitary work i.e. reading, writing, thinking on their own
- They are asked to assess beforehand what they will learn and to appraise afterwards what they have learned
- They are offered quotes they see as ‘theoretical’ i.e. explanation of cause or background
- They are asked to repeat essentially the same activity over and over again
- They have precise instructions to follow with little room for manoeuvre
- They are asked to do a thorough job i.e. attend to detail, tie up loose ends, dot the ‘I’s’ and cross the ‘T’s’
Reflectors
Reflectors learn best from activities where:
- They are allowed or encouraged to watch/think/ponder over activities
- They are able to stand back from events and listen/observe i.e. observing a group at work, taking a back seat in a meeting, watching a film or video
- They are allowed to think before acting, to assimilate before commenting i.e. have time to prepare, a chance to read in advance a brief giving background data
- They can carry out some painstaking research i.e. investigate, assemble information, probe to get to the bottom of things
- They have the opportunity to review what has happened, what they have learned
- They are asked to produce carefully considered analysis and reports
- They are helped to exchange views with other people without danger i.e. by prior agreement, within a structured learning experience
- They can reach a decision in their own time without pressure and tight deadlines
Reflectors learn least from and may react against activities where:
- They are forced into the limelight i.e. to act as a leader/chair person, to role-play in front of on-lookers
- They are involved in situations, which involve action without planning
- They are pitched into doing something without warning, i.e. to produce an instant reaction, to produce off the top of the head ideas
- They are given insufficient data on which to base a conclusion
- They are given cut and dry instructions on how things should be done
- They are worried by time pressures or rushed from one activity to another
- In the interests of expediency they have to make short cuts or do a superficial job
Theorists
Theorists learn best from activities where:
- What is being offered is part of a system, model, concept or theory
- They have time to explore methodically the associations and inter-relationships between ideas, events and situations
- They have the chance to question and probe the basic methodology, assumptions or logic behind something, i.e. by taking part I a question and answer session, by checking a paper for inconsistencies
- They are intellectually stretched, i.e. by analysing a complex situation, being tested in a tutorial session, by teaching high calibre people who ask searching questions
- They are in structure situations with a clear purpose
- They can listen to or read about ideas and concepts that emphasise rationality or logic and are well argued/eloquent/watertight
- They can analyse and then generalise the reasons for success or failure
- They are offered interesting ideas and concepts even though they are not immediately relevant
- They are required to understand and participate in complex situations
Theorists learn least from and may react against activities where:
- They are pitchforked into doing something without a context or apparent purpose
- They have to participate in situations emphasising emotions and feelings
- They are involved in unstructured activities where ambiguity and uncertainty are high i.e. with open-ended problems or sensitivity training
- They are asked to ask or decide without a basis in policy, principle or concept
- They are faced with a hotchpotch of alternative/contradictory techniques/methods without exploring in any depth i.e. as a ‘once over lightly’ course
- They doubt that the subject matter is methodologically sound i.e. where questionnaires haven’t been validated, where there aren’t any statistics to support an argument
- They find the subject matter platitudinous, shallow or gimmicky
- They feel themselves out of tune with other participants i.e. when with lots of activists or people of lower intellectual calibre
Pragmatists
Pragmatists learn best from activities where:
- There is an obvious link between the subject matter and a problem or opportunity on the job
- They are shown techniques for doing things with obvious practical advantages, i.e. how to save time, how to make a good first impression, how to deal with awkward people
- They have the chance to try out and practice techniques with coaching/feedback from a creditable expert, i.e. someone who is successful in the technique themselves
- They are exposed to a model they can emulate i.e. a respected boss, a demonstration from someone with a proven track record, lots of examples/anecdotes
- They are given techniques currently applicable to their own job
- They are given immediate opportunities to implement what they have learned
- There is high face validity in the activity i.e. a good simulation, ‘real’ problems
- They can concentrate on practical issues, i.e. drawing up action plans with an obvious end product, suggesting short cuts, giving tips
Pragmatists learn least from and may react against activities where:
- The learning is not related to an immediate need they recognise i.e. they cannot see an immediate relevant/practical benefit
- Organisers of the learning or the event itself is seen as distant from reality
- There is no practice or clear guidelines on how to do it
- They feel that people are going round in circles and not getting anywhere fast enough
- There are political, managerial or personal obstacles to implementation
- There is no apparent reward from the learning activity
Developing Learning Styles
The aim should be to develop the use of all four styles to become in effect an all rounder, able to learn from all situations.
ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP YOUR ACTIVIST STYLE
- Do something new that you have never done before
- Practice initiating conversation (small talk)
- Deliberately fragment your day, chop and change every half hour
- Force yourself into the limelight
- Practice thinking out loud
ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP YOUR REFLECTOR STYLE
- Practice observing
- Keep a diary
- Practice reviewing meetings
- Give yourself a research project
- Produce highly polished pieces of writing
- Practice drawing up lists for and against a particular action
ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP YOUR THEORIST STYLE
- Read something ‘heavy’
- Practice spotting weaknesses and inconsistencies in other people’s arguments
- Take a complex problem and pinpoint why it developed, what could have been done to avoid it?
- Collect other people’s theories and try to understand them
- Practice structuring situations so they will proceed in the way you predict
- Practice probing questioning
ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP YOUR PRAGMATIST STYLE
- Collect techniques, practical ways of doing things
- Produce action plans in meetings
- Experiment with new approaches to situations
- Find a pragmatist type person and copy them
- Tackle a DIY project