| This study was designed to discover and analyze the association between traditional teaching methods and styles and the learning styles and processes of undergraduate, non-traditional, mature adult students. If the following findings suggest a true disparity or mismatch, then a more appropriate remedy should be implemented in order to accommodate both the modern instructors and non-traditional learners. To begin to examine this association, the researcher established a sample consisting of twenty-one subjects: twenty prospective teachers who were Early Childhood Education majors; and the teacher during the summer 2006 semester who was an instructor in the Early Childhood Education Department at Jefferson Community and Technical College, downtown campus in Louisville, Kentucky. All participants were administered the Kolb's Learning Style Inventory Version 3.1 (2005) to assess their preferred learning style. All subjects were also given a demographic survey, and an interview questionnaire. Utilizing the qualitative approach, data analysis revealed that by designing a course based on the learning styles of students, one can determine two benefits: (a) improve student response to the material, and (b) help students become better learners. Filipezak (1995) stated that people are now expected to become lifelong learners, and as such, they must determine their learning preferences to better cope with what and how they learn. Armed with the knowledge that non-traditional students may have been asked to adopt a learning style not best suited for them, instructors must adopt new teaching strategies to meet the diverse learning styles of today's students. |
