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Learning Styles: A Useful Myth

By Jess L. Gregory

As an educator trained in the 1990s, I was coached to determine the learning style of each student and
present materials in a way that aligned with the styles of the students in my class. I developed lesson
plans that tapped into the multiple modalities and felt very good about my practice. I was challenged by
a colleague—25 years later—who asserted that learning styles were a myth. I have come to accept that,
although that may be true, learning styles are a useful myth.
An individual can measure their learning style preference using a quick inventory. Then, one can use
that learning style to tailor resources and means of expression to match that learning style. Learning style
theories and research have been published since the 1940s, with some of these publications asserting that
catering to a verbal, visual, auditory, or kinesthetic style will improve outcomes for learners (Clinton-
Lisell & Litzinger, 2024; Pashler et al., 2009). Wininger et al. (2019) found that 80% of textbooks used in
educator-preparation programs included a discussion of learning styles, with one quarter recommending
matching instruction to learning styles.
If learning styles are represented in 80% of these texts, what do I mean by saying that learning styles
are a myth? First, the idea that our brains have one best way to learn does not have research support.
Toppo (2019) asserted that, although the idea of learning styles
is “as popular as ever,” little empirical evidence exists
to support the idea. Others have reported that
the juxtaposition between the popularity of
the learning style concept and the “lack
of credible evidence for its utility is, in
our opinion, striking and disturbing”
(Pashler et al., 2009, p. 117).
Willingham (2018) affirmed that,
after reviewing the studies, no
support exists to suggest “that
participants learn better when
new content fits their purported
learning style” (p. 32).
Second, the more recent
popularization of learning
styles harkens back to Gardner’s
(1983) theory of multiple
intelligences. Although Gardner’s
theory has a strong empirical base
of evidence, in a 2013 Washington
Post interview, Gardner himself
lamented that his work has been
erroneously conflated with learning styles
(Strauss, 2013). Despite Gardner asserting that
focus on learning styles is not an application of his
work, other researchers have continued to publish that it Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences
is (Mahmood et al., 2022). may be misapplied to learning styles.

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