I just finished reading Lemke-Westcott & Johnson's (2013) article on their study of student and faculty learning style differences at the University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ). Having worked as a post-secondary instructor at the only other Canadian institution in Qatar (College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, CNA-Q) for eight years now, I am not at all surprized by any of their study's findings. However, it is nice to see the anecdotal evidence of my colleagues and I finally addressed in a formal way! This paper should lay the groundwork for similar close examinations of the differences in learning style preferences and pedagogical approaches of expat instructors and their students from different cultural backgrounds.
In a nutshell, Lemke-Westcott & Johnson compared the results of two well-established learning styles and preferences inventories between Canadian instructors and local Arab (mostly Qatari) students. All of the student participants are enrolled in UCQ's Bachelor of Nursing program. The study found that (not surprisingly) instructors and students in this transnational context have different learning style preferences! The instructors group predominantly preferred an abstract conceptualization approach to learning, while the local students predominantly preferred an active experimental approach with a pragmatic (job-related) orientation. It is also worth noting that there were significant differences in the preferences of new (first-year), regular (second and third year) and graduating students at UCQ.
The authors assert that these differences in learning styles are influenced by differences in the cultural contexts of instructors and students. I would be inclined to agree that the cultural differences (which the authors clearly delineate with evidence from previous studies) do play a role in the differences in learning style preferences. However, there are a number of other potential factors that I'd like to see explored to give a better understanding of the situation. For instance, the authors demonstrate that students' preferences evolve as they progress through their programs (and become more mature learners). It is safe to assume that their instructors have all completed one (if not several, including graduate-level) degrees. Does the maturity level of the instructors, as learners, have a significant impact upon their learning style preferences (as opposed to culture alone)? Would the UCQ students, given the opportunity to pursue further studies (and, thus, become more mature learners) evolve to show similar learning style preferences to those of their instructors (or would their preferences continue to be divergent even after obtaining equivalent credentials)? I am also left wondering about the significant differences in the learning style preferences of the first-year UCQ students and their peers in the more advanced cohorts. Does attrition amongst first-year students (if it exists at a significant level) have an impact upon the divergent preference profiles? And what influence (if any) does the aptitude of the typical Bachelor of Nursing student have upon preferences (as opposed to, say, engineering, information technology, or business administration students). Lemke-Westcott & Johnson hint at the need to expand their study to other institutions in order answer some of these questions.
My conclusion... this was a great and timely study and article. The authors provide solid evidence that transnational instructors need to be extra vigilant of the supports needed by their learners, and I highly recommend this article to any Western instructor who is considering making the move to teaching in the Middle East.
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Lemke-Westcott, T., & Johnson, B. (2013). When culture and learning styles matter: A Canadian university with Middle-Eastern students. Journal of Research in International Education, 12(1), 66-84. DOI: 10.1177/1475240913480105
In a nutshell, Lemke-Westcott & Johnson compared the results of two well-established learning styles and preferences inventories between Canadian instructors and local Arab (mostly Qatari) students. All of the student participants are enrolled in UCQ's Bachelor of Nursing program. The study found that (not surprisingly) instructors and students in this transnational context have different learning style preferences! The instructors group predominantly preferred an abstract conceptualization approach to learning, while the local students predominantly preferred an active experimental approach with a pragmatic (job-related) orientation. It is also worth noting that there were significant differences in the preferences of new (first-year), regular (second and third year) and graduating students at UCQ.
The authors assert that these differences in learning styles are influenced by differences in the cultural contexts of instructors and students. I would be inclined to agree that the cultural differences (which the authors clearly delineate with evidence from previous studies) do play a role in the differences in learning style preferences. However, there are a number of other potential factors that I'd like to see explored to give a better understanding of the situation. For instance, the authors demonstrate that students' preferences evolve as they progress through their programs (and become more mature learners). It is safe to assume that their instructors have all completed one (if not several, including graduate-level) degrees. Does the maturity level of the instructors, as learners, have a significant impact upon their learning style preferences (as opposed to culture alone)? Would the UCQ students, given the opportunity to pursue further studies (and, thus, become more mature learners) evolve to show similar learning style preferences to those of their instructors (or would their preferences continue to be divergent even after obtaining equivalent credentials)? I am also left wondering about the significant differences in the learning style preferences of the first-year UCQ students and their peers in the more advanced cohorts. Does attrition amongst first-year students (if it exists at a significant level) have an impact upon the divergent preference profiles? And what influence (if any) does the aptitude of the typical Bachelor of Nursing student have upon preferences (as opposed to, say, engineering, information technology, or business administration students). Lemke-Westcott & Johnson hint at the need to expand their study to other institutions in order answer some of these questions.
My conclusion... this was a great and timely study and article. The authors provide solid evidence that transnational instructors need to be extra vigilant of the supports needed by their learners, and I highly recommend this article to any Western instructor who is considering making the move to teaching in the Middle East.
___________________________________
Lemke-Westcott, T., & Johnson, B. (2013). When culture and learning styles matter: A Canadian university with Middle-Eastern students. Journal of Research in International Education, 12(1), 66-84. DOI: 10.1177/1475240913480105
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