A Unified Learning Style Model for Technology-Enhanced Learning: What, Why and How?

Learning Style Background

Learning style designates everything that is characteristic to an individual when she/he is learning, i.e. a specific manner of approaching a learning task, the learning strategies activated in order to fulfill the task. A widely accepted definition is given by Keefe (1979); according to it, learning style includes cognitive, affective, and psychological factors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how a learner perceives, interacts with, and responds to the learning environment.

There has been a great interest in the field over the past 30 years, which led to the proliferation of proposed approaches. Coffield et al. (2004) identified 71 models of learning styles, among which 13 were categorized as major models, according to their theoretical importance, their widespread use and their influence on other learning style models. These models differ in the learning theories they are based on, the number and the description of the dimensions they include.