Department
Management and Entrepreneurship
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 3-1-2013
Abstract
This research project explores learning styles of college students in the US and China. The Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Style Scale, designed to measure how college students view their learning, was used as the main instrument for the current study. A total of 511 college students, 274 from the US and 237 from China, participated in this study. Results indicate that there are significant differences between the Chinese and American students in their reported learning styles, but not necessarily in the direction of conventional prediction. For example, the Chinese participants scored higher on the independent and competitive subscales than the American participants, reflecting a more individualistic tendency by the Chinese students than previously thought. Conversely, the American participants scored higher on the dependent subscales than the Chinese students. Some gender differences are also observed. These results are discussed in the context of traditional cultural orientations as well as current educational systems of the two countries.