A Comparative Study of Learning Styles between Online and Traditional Students

This comparative study was designed to investigate how online and traditional face-to-face (FtF) students used different learning styles in a graduate educational course. A nonequivalent control group design was employed. The study involved 19 students in an experimental group (online section) and 25 students in a control group (FtF section) in a graduate course in the Fall semester of 2004. Although no significant statistical differences were detected in learning styles at pretest, significant statistical differences were found in many learning style subscales at posttest between experimental and control groups. Specifically, at the end of the course, online students seemed to have a higher preference for peer interaction, competition, interaction with the instructor, details of the course materials, independence, authority, reading, direct experiences, and clear goal setting than their counterparts in the FtF section. No significant statistical differences were detected in learning performance between both groups. Implications resulted from the study.