Learning styles of adult upgrading students : performance using Plato software

This study examined the performance of adult learners in an upgrading situation. It was hypothesised that students' upgrading performance using a computer-based learning system would not be significantly difference, regardless of their individual learning styles. All students had their learning style preference evaluated. All learners were to learn from a computer-based high school upgrading courseware package. The project examined the performance of a number of forestry workers. The adult students learned from a set series of assigned courses in math and English from a computer-based software program and staff monitored progress using the internal student tracking system. Their individual performances were compared using their learning styles as an independent variable. Three learning styles were examined Auditory, Visual and Multi-Sensory. The subjects' learning styles were determined. Other independent variables, including sex, graduation status, and current academic ability level, were compared using one-way ANOVA statistical tests. Graduation status was either graduated from high school, or non-graduate. Current academic ability level was tested and raw scores were converted to primary, elementary, or secondary school levels of academic ability. No significant differences in performance were observed among the independent or dependent variables as a function of the individuals' different learning styles. This result supported the conclusion that adult students with a variety of learning styles may be assigned to a computer-based learning system and that they each could perform similarly, regardless of their individual learning style. Computer-assisted learning may be useful as a tool to assist adult learners with various learning styles to complete their basic high school education.--Page ii.