Option choices in a geography degree: congruence or divergence with learning style?
John Bradbeer,
University of Portsmouth, UK
Abstract: Geography has long claimed to be the synthetic discipline combining perspectives
from the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences. Options at degree level
reflect this catholicity. Kolb categorised geography as a moderatley abstract and
reflective discipline, while Nulty and Barrett have categorised it as soft applied or
concrete active. While such differences could reflect national contrasts in the
discipline, they may also be descriptive of different parts of the discipline. I
have used Honey and Mumford's LSQ to see whether students in geography at the University
of Portsmouth cluster into particular sub-disciplines according to their learning styles
and whether there is any congruence between their learning style and their chosen options.
On the basis of a single cohort of students, I conclude that there is no pattern of
clustering according to learning styles but that there does seem to be a gender effect.
I present my findings as work in progress !