DOCUMENT RESUME ED 321 952 RC 017 679 AUTHOR Kleinfeld, Judith; Nelscd, Patricia TITLE Adapting Instruction to Native Americans' "Learning Styles": An Iconoclastic View. PUB DATE 88 NOTE 21p. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Achievement Gains; *American Indian Education; *Cognitive Style; Cross Cultural Studies; Cultural Differences; *Educational Research; Elementary Secondary Education; *Instructional Development; Theory Practice Relationship; *Visual Learning IDENTIFIERS *Native Americans ABSTRACT This paper examines the claim that instruction specially adapted to the "visual learning styles" of Native American students results in improved learning. Substantial cross-cultural research suggests that Native American children have special strengths in spatial abilities and visual memory am that observational learning is an important cultural orientation. However, an extensive computerized literature search yielded only three studies that empirically tes,A the proposition that the instruction adapted to Native Americans' learning styles increases achievement, and it was found after a careful review which this paper reports that virtually none of the results substantially demonstrates the educational benefits of adapted instruction. Nonetheless, the concept of "Native American learning styles" continues to enjoy considerable popularity. It is speculated that the idea persists for the following reasons: (1) educators prefer to avoid "deficit" language; (2) the concept is useful for obtaining funding for culturally oriented programs; and (3) the concept is useful for summarizing a variety of instructional adaptations necessary in a cross-cultural context. The paper concludes that future research might demonstrate some educational benefits from visually-oriented instruction but the lack of progress in the broader area of aptitude-treatment interactions offers no basis for optimism. It is suggested that researchers interested in improving Native American education might better direct their investigations elsewhere. This document includes a 26-item bibliography. (TES) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***************************************************A*******************
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DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICDOCUMENT RESUME ED 321 952 RC 017 679 AUTHOR Kleinfeld, Judith; Nelscd, Patricia TITLE Adapting Instruction to Native Americans' "Learning Styles": An Iconoclastic
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Styles": An Iconoclastic View.PUB DATE 88NOTE 21p.
PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Achievement Gains; *American Indian Education;
*Cognitive Style; Cross Cultural Studies; CulturalDifferences; *Educational Research; ElementarySecondary Education; *Instructional Development;Theory Practice Relationship; *Visual Learning
IDENTIFIERS *Native Americans
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the claim that instructionspecially adapted to the "visual learning styles" of Native Americanstudents results in improved learning. Substantial cross-culturalresearch suggests that Native American children have specialstrengths in spatial abilities and visual memory am thatobservational learning is an important cultural orientation. However,an extensive computerized literature search yielded only threestudies that empirically tes,A the proposition that the instructionadapted to Native Americans' learning styles increases achievement,and it was found after a careful review which this paper reports thatvirtually none of the results substantially demonstrates theeducational benefits of adapted instruction. Nonetheless, the conceptof "Native American learning styles" continues to enjoy considerablepopularity. It is speculated that the idea persists for the followingreasons: (1) educators prefer to avoid "deficit" language; (2) theconcept is useful for obtaining funding for culturally orientedprograms; and (3) the concept is useful for summarizing a variety ofinstructional adaptations necessary in a cross-cultural context. Thepaper concludes that future research might demonstrate someeducational benefits from visually-oriented instruction but the lackof progress in the broader area of aptitude-treatment interactionsoffers no basis for optimism. It is suggested that researchersinterested in improving Native American education might better directtheir investigations elsewhere. This document includes a 26-itembibliography. (TES)
**********************************************************************Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.***************************************************A*******************
4t
Learning Styles
Adapting Instruction to Native Americans' "Learning Styles":
An Iconoclastic View
Judith Kleinfeld and Patricia Nelson
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TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
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University of AlaskaFairbanks, Alaska 99775
U S DEPARTMF IT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educabonal Research and Improvement
EOUCATIO :f. RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER IERIC4
/This/This document has teen reproduced arfrom the person or organization
onginafing ft0 Minor changes have been made to Improve
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Running head: ADAPTING INSTRUCTION TO LEARNING STYLES
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Learning Styles
Abstract
This paper examines the claim that instruction adapted to the "visual
learning styles" or Native American students results in greater
learning. We argue that:
1. Substantial cross-cultural research suggests that Native
American children have special strengths in such areas as
spatial abilities and visual memory and that observational
learning is an important cultural orientation. but that
2. Virtually no research has succeeded in demonstrating that
instruction adapted to Native Americans' visual learning style
results in greater learning.
3. Nonetheless, the concept of "Native American learning styles"
continues to enjoy considerable popularity due to:
(a) educators' desire to avoid "deficit" language, (b) the
concept's use in obtaining culturally oriented program funding,
(c) the concept's use in summarizing a variety of
instructional adaptations necessary in a cross-cultural context.
3
Learning Styles
Adapting Instruction to Native Americans' "Learning Styles":
An Iconoclastic View
This paper examines the claim that instruction adapted to the
"observational learning styles" of Native American students will
increase achievement. Many studies do suggest that certain groups of
Native American children have special strength in such areal as
spatial abilities and visual memory. In a review of the educational
literature, however, we fail to find support for the common
conclusion that adapting instruction to Native Americans' learning
styles will increase achievement.
Several reviews of the literature on the ability patterns and
"learning styles," variously defined, of Native American groups are
already available (McShane & Plas, 1984; Osborne, 1985; Kaulback,
1984; More, 1984; Kleinfeld, 1973; Shade, 1984). We, therefore, only
briefly summarize this research in the first section of this paper.
We devote the major portion of the paper to a detailed examination of
research empirically testing the hypothesis that instruction adapted
to Native American learning styles will result in greater learning.
Finally, we discuss the reasons for the popularity of the learning
style concept despite the paucity of findings showing that
instruction adapted to Native Amerthan learning styles actually has
educational benefits.
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Learning Styles
Research on Cognitive Ability Patterns and Learning Styles
Psychological Research
The term "learning style" in research on Native American
education is commonly used to refer to an ill-defined assortment of
abilities and modes of processing information: spatial abilities,