Learning Styles Assessment Modalities Preferences Diagnostics (Lamp-D): A Framework Of Accounting Students’ Preferred Learning Styles And Course Learning Assessments

Abstract

This study outlines students’ perceptions of their cognitive learning mode relative to assessment methods and class activities to support meaning-making in accounting. It builds on Barsch’s (1996) learning styles inventory, on Grasha-Riechmann’s (Riechmann & Grasha, 1974) learning style scale, and Kolb’s (1984, 1985) learning modalities. The study yielded some important results: (1) A Learning Styles Assessment Modalities Preferences Diagnostics (LAMP-D), created to determine learning modalities and preferred assessments; (2) Accounting students have similar learning aptitudes within various learning modalities and contexts, which correlate positively or negatively with different assessments; (3) Regardless of preferred learning styles, students’ assessment preferences correlate positively to individual case study, and negatively to multiple-choice assessments; (4) As Faculty understand how accounting students learn, they should make flexible, proactive decisions about teaching methods, modalities and contexts. They should simultaneously reduce their reliance on ineffective techniques such as objective or passive assessments. Moreover, routine, traditional, or mundane assignment modalities and contexts, such as multiple-choice exams may not be the most effective techniques.