The Effects of Learners' Verbal and Visual Cognitive Styles on Instruction Selection

In designing learning instructions there is often the assumption that individual learners have different style preferences. Cognitive style may be defined as individual variation in ways of interacting with a learning environment and perceiving information. However, different styles of learning instructions may affect a learner’s selection of an instruction, their appreciation of these instructions and learning outcomes. We have conducted a study to investigate how learners’ verbal and visual cognitive style affected the selection of an instruction for learning Sudoku, their appreciation of the selected instruction, and the time they spent solving a Sudoku. Five different Sudoku instructions were used which varied in the media used. Two fundamental cognitive styles dimensions (Verbal-Visual) were assessed using the verbalizer and visualizer questionnaire (VVQ). This paper aims to consider the relationship between learning selection, learning appreciation and cognitive style and to suggest ways in which learning instructions may accommodate a learner’s cognitive style in order to provide an effective learning environment.