UNDERGRADUATE AGRICULTURE STUDENT LEARNING STYLES AND CRITICAL THINKING ABILITIES: IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP?

Abstract

Much work has been done with students in colleges of agriculture across the country to assess learning styles. Although this work has been an important point of departure for further research, very little research has been conducted outside of describing various populations of students. This study attempted to examine the presence or absence of relationships between student learning styles and student critical thinking dispositions. Preparing students to think critically is a goal of many professionals in higher education. Critical thinking is also a quality sought by employers of college graduates. If relationships exist between a student's learning style and the disposition to think critically, college faculty may be able to facilitate the development of critical thinking skills in students by utilizing this information. Although the researchers identified significant differences in critical thinking disposition between males and females, there were no significant differences between field independent and field dependent learners. Many of the students in the sample studied had a low disposition for critical thinking (30.5%) while 1.7% of the students studied possessed a high disposition toward critical thinking.