Cognitive styles: Some information and implications for instructional design

Abstract

A fresh approach to instructional design, one that emphasizes the importance of cognitive style as a learner characteristic, is presented here. The authors report that 11 dimensions of the characteristic have been found, suggesting that individuals differ in the way they process information. Noting that cognitive styles are stable, resistant to change by training and bear little relation to general ability, the authors advocate assisting the learner whose information-processing pattern is not compatible with the task to be learned by plannedsupplantation involving overt alteration of the task requirement with which the learner is having difficulty. They propose a three-step instructional design plan with which to move"beyond individual instruction to individualized instruction" in which"differences in learners need not result in differences in learning."