Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

A Study of the Relationship Between Instructional Methods and Learning Styles in Learning Leadership Skills


     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


In the present dynamic and interwoven workplace, leaders have an important role in steering the organisations towards higher
performance and yielding competitive edge. Besides being the backbone of an organisation, leaders support effective forward momentum
in organisations. At times when it is implicit that leadership is something that can be learnt or at least be improved by learning, leadership
training is significant. Leadership training is one of the most important training for building a strong workplace and organisational success. In
order to excel at workplace, today managers are generally provided leadership skills, especially communication skills to manage the diversity
in an organisation. A case study approach was adopted to explore the relationship between instructional methods and learning style on learning
performance in leadership skills training. Results of a 4 × 3 ANOVA revealed significant main effects for instructional methods and learning
styles. However, the interaction effect was found to be insignificant. Implications of the findings of the study have been discussed in detail.

Keywords

Leadership Skills, Training, Instructional Method, Learning Style
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Abidin, M. J. Z., Rezaee, A. A., Abdullah, H. N. & Singh, K.K.B. (2004). Learning Styles and Overall Academic Achievement in a Specifi c Educational System. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(10), 143-152.
  • Alfonseca, A., Carro, R., Martín, E., Ortigosa, A., & Paredes, P. (2006). The impact of learning styles on student grouping for collaborative learning: a case study. User Model User-Adap Inter, 16 (3), 377-401.
  • Allert, J. R. & Chatterjee, S. R. (1997). Corporate communication and trust in leadership Corporate Communications: An International Journal Volume, 2(1), 14-21.
  • Allinson, C.W., & Hayes, J. (1988). The learning styles questionnaire: an alternative to Kolb’s Inventory. Journal of Management Studies. 25(3), 269–281
  • Alonderiene, R. (2009). The impact of managers’ informal learning on enterprise performance results (summary of doctoral dissertation). Social Science, Management and Administration (03S). ISM University of Management and Economics, Kaunas.
  • Antonacopoulou, E. P., & Bento, R. E. (2003). Methods of ‘Learning Leadership’: Taught and Experiential. In J. Storey (ed.) Leadership in Organizations: Current issues and key trends. London: Routledge.
  • Astin, W. A., and Astin, H. S. (2000). Leadership Reconsidered: Engaging Higher Education in Social Change. Retrieved from http://www.wkkf.org/Pubs/CCT/ Leadership/Pub3368.pdf Atkins, P.W.B., & Wood, R.E.
  • Bass, B., Avolio, B., & Atwater, L. (1996). The transformational and transactional leadership of men and women. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 45, 1, 5-34.
  • Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass & Stodgill’s Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Application. New York: Free Press.
  • Belasen, A., & Frank, N. (2008). Competing values leadership: Quadrant roles and personality traits. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 29(2), 127- 143. doi: 10.1108/01437730810852489
  • Bell, J. (1999). Doing Your Research Project. Buckingham: OUP.
  • Benham, C. (2002). Training effectiveness, on-line delivery, and the infl uence of learning style. Proceedings of the 2002 ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Personnel Research Conference, 41-46. Kristiansand, Norway.
  • Bohlen, G. A. & Ferratt, T. W. (1993). The effect of learning style and method of instruction on the achievement, effi ciency and satisfaction of end-users learning computer software. Proceedings of the 1993 Conference on Computer Personnel Research, 273-283. ACM Press.
  • Brown, D. (2002). Interactive teaching. Syllabus. 15(6), 23.
  • Brungardt, C. (2011). The Intersection between soft skill development and leadership Education. Journal of Leadership Education, 10(1), 1-22.
  • Buch, K., & Bartley, S. (2002). Learning style and training delivery mode preference. Journal of Workplace Learning, 14(1), 5-10.
  • Burgoyne, J. G. (1994). Managing by learning. Journal of Management Learning, 25(1) 35-55.
  • Burkman, T. (1994). An analysis of the relationship, achievement, attitude, and sociological element of individual learning styles of students in an interactive television course. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Western Michigan University.
  • Burnett, N. (2005). Leadership and SEN: Meeting the Challenge in Special and Mainstream Settings. London: David Fulton.
  • Cassidy, S. (2004). Learning styles: An overview of theories, models, and measures. Educational Psychology, 24(4), 419-444.
  • Chou, H. W., & Wang, Y. F. (1999). The effects of learning style and training method on computer attitude and performance in WWW page design training. Journal of Educational Computing Research. 21(3), 323–342.
  • Chou, H.W., & Wang, T. B. (2000). The infl uence of learning style and training method on self-effi cacy and learning performance in WWW homepage design training. International Journal of Information Management, 20, 455-472.
  • Chou, H.-W. (2001). Effects of training method and computer anxiety on learning performance and self-effi cacy. Computers in Human Behavior, 17, 51-69.
  • Chung, J., & Davis, I. K. (1995). An instructional theory for learner control: Revisited. In M. R. Simonson (Ed.). Proceedings of the 1995 Annual National Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Anaheim, CA:AACE, 72–86.
  • Collins, D. B., & Holton III, E. F. (2004). The effectiveness of managerial leadership development programs: A metaanalysis of studies from 1982 to 2001. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 15(2), 217-248.
  • Collins, D. B. (2002). The Effectiveness of Managerial Leadership Development Programs: A Meta-Analysis of Studies from 1982-2001 (Doctoral dissertation). Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. Louisiana State University.
  • Conger, J. A. (1992). Learning to Lead: The art of Transforming Managers into Leaders. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Conger, J. A., & Benjamin, B. (1999). Building Leaders: How Successful Companies Develop the Next Generation. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA.
  • Cronbach, L. J. & Snow, R.E. (1977). Aptitudes and Instructional Methods: A Handbook for Research on Interactions. New York: Irvington Publishers Inc.
  • Crosbie, R. (2005). Learning the soft skills of leadership. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37(1), 45-51, DOI 10.1108/00197850510576484
  • Damavandi, A. J., Mahyuddin, R., Elias, H., Daud, S. M. & Shabani, J. (2011). Academic achievement of students with different learning styles. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 3(2), 186-192.
  • Davis, R. C. (1942). The Fundamentals of Top Management, New York: Harper.
  • Desmedt, E., & Valcke, M. (2004). Mapping the learning styles jungle. An overview of the literature based on citation analysis. Educational Psychology, 24, 445–464.
  • Dunn, R. (2001). Learning style differences of nonconforming middle-school students. NASSP Bulletin, 85(626), 68–75.
  • Eckermana, D. A., Abrahamsonb, K., Ammermanb, T., Ferchob, H., Rohlmanb, D. S., & Anger, W. K. (2004). Computer-based training for food services workers at a hospital. Journal of Safety Research, 35, 317– 327
  • Elmuti, D., Minnis , W., & Abebe, M. (2005). Does education have a role in developing leadership skills? Management Decision, 43(7), 1018-1031.
  • Facey, J. (2002). Effective communication: skills that make leaders stand out from the crowd. Retrieved from http:// www.ceoforum.com.au/article-detail.cfm?cid=6128&t=/ Jo-Anne-Facey--Mercer-Human-Resource-Consulting/ Effective-communication-skills-that-make-leaders-standout- from-the-crowd/
  • Felder, R. M. & Brent, R. (2005).Understanding Student Differences. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(1), 57-72.
  • Hajizainuddin, A. M. (1999). A study of learning styles and hypermedia’s organizational structures in a Web-based instructional program designed for trainee teachers at the international Islamic University Malaysia (unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.
  • House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan M., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (2004) Culture Leadership and Organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 Societies,. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
  • Howard, C. (2005). A Three-tiered Approach to Leadership Training: Using blended learning to drive culture and leadership. Bersin & Associates
  • Howitt, D., & Cramer, D. (2003). A Guide to Computing Statistics with SPSS 11 for Windows. Revised edition. Harlow, Pearson Education Limited.
  • Jones, A. M. (2005). The anthropology of leadership: Culture and corporate leadership in the American South. Leadership, 1, 259-278.
  • Ken Blanchard Companies. (2006). Critical Leadership Skills: Key Traits That Can Make or Break Today’s Leaders. San Diego: Ken Blanchard Companies.
  • Kian, N. T., & Sabbaghan, S. (2012). The relationship between gardner’s Multiple intelligence and Kolb’s learning style. International Journal of Knowledge and Systems Science (IJKSS), 3(3), 52-59.
  • Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1967). Evaluation of training. In R. L. Craig (Ed.). Training and Development Handbook: A Guide to Human Resources Development. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Knight, J. B. & Salter, C.A., (1985). Some considerations for hospitality training programs. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration, 25, 38-43. doi: 10.1177/001088048502500409
  • Kolb, A. Y., Kolb, D. A. (2005), Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Academy of Management Learning & Education. 4 (2), 193-212.
  • Kolb, D. (1976). Management and learning processes. California Management Review, 18(3), 21-31.
  • Kolb, D. (1984). The Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  • Kolb, D. A. (1981). Experiential learning theory and the Learning Style Inventory: a reply to Freedman and Stumpf. Academy of Management Review, 6(2), 289–296.
  • Kolb, D., & Fry, R. (1975). Towards an applied theory of experiential learning. In C. L. C. (Ed.), Theory of group process. London: Wiley.
  • Krohn, R. A. (2000). Training as a strategic investment. In R. W. Herling & J. Provo (Eds.), Strategic perspectives on knowledge, competence, and expertise. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
  • Larsen, R. E. (1992). Relationship of learning style to the effectiveness and acceptance of interactive video instruction. Journal of Computer-Based Instruction, 19(1), 17-21.
  • Liang, J. S. (2012). The effects of learning styles and perceptions on application of interactive learning guides for web-based courses. Proceedings of the 2012 AAEE Conference, Melbourne, Victoria.
  • Liu, M., & Reed, W. M. (1994). The relationship between the learning strategies and learning styles in a hypermedia environment. Computers in Human Behaviour, 10(4), 419–434.
  • Loomis, K. D. (2000). Learning styles and asynchronous learning: Comparing the LASSI model to class performance. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 4(1), 23–32.
  • Lu, H., Jia, L., Gong, S., & Clark, B. (2007). The relationship of Kolb learning styles, online learning behaviors and learning outcomes. Educational Technology and Society. 10(4), 187-196.
  • Lyne de Ver, H. (2008). Leadership, politics and development: A literature survey. LECRP Background Paper, Retrieved from http://www.dlprog.org`
  • Mabey, C & Thomson, A. (2000). Achieving Management Excellence: A survey of UK Management Development at the Millennium. Institute of Management.
  • Mainemelis C, Boyatzis RE & Kolb DA (2002). Learning styles and adaptive fl exibility: testing experiential learning theory. Management Learning, 33(1), 5–33.
  • Manochehr, N. (2006). The infl uence of learning styles on learners in e-learning environment: An empirical study. Computers in Higher Education Economics Review, 18(1), 10-14.
  • Martin, A. (2005). The Changing Nature of Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.ccl.org McCall, M. W., Jr. (1998). High fl yers: Developing the Next Generation of eaders. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
  • McCann, B. M. (2006).The relationship between learning styles, learning environments and student success. Journal of Agricultural Education, 47(3), 14-23
  • McCauley, C.D., & Hughes-James, M.W. (1994). An Evaluation of the Outcomes of a Leadership Development Program. Center for Creative Leadership: Greensboro, NC.
  • Mclagan, P. (2002). Change is Everybody’s Business. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
  • McLeod, S. A. (2010). Kolb: The Learning Style Inventory. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology. org/learning-kolb.html.
  • Melis, E., & Monthienvichienchai, R. (2004). They call it learning style but it’s so much more. In G. Richards (Ed.), Proceedings of World Conference on e-learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education , 1383-1390. Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
  • Miller, D. L., Umble, K. E., Steve L. Frederick, S. L., & Dinkin, D. R. (2007). Linking learning methods to outcomes in public health leadership development. Leadership in Health Services, 20(2), 97-123.
  • Mishra, S. (2001). Designing Online Learning. Vancouver, Canada: Commonwealth of Learning. Retrieved from http://www.col.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/KS2001- 02_online.pdf
  • Munson, E. L. (1921) The Management of Men, New York: Holt.
  • Nunnaly, J. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Obisi, C. (2011). Employee Training and Development in Nigerian Organisations: Some Observations and Agenda for Research. Australian Journal of Business and Management Research, 1(9), 82-91.
  • Orr, J.E. & Sack, K. (2009). Setting the stage for success: Building the leadership skills that matter. [Whitepaper]. Minneapolis, MN: Korn/Ferry. International.
  • Osguthorpe, T. R., & Graham, R. C. (2003). Blended learning environments. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 4(3), 227–233.
  • Padilha, E. G. (2006). Modelling Turn-taking in a Simulation of Small Group Discussion. Doctor of Philosophy Institute for Communicating and Collaborative Systems School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
  • Pallapu, P. (2007). Effects of visual and verbal learning styles on learning. Institute for Learning Styles Journal, 1, 34-39.
  • Pape, L. (2010). Blended Teaching and Learning, The School Administrator, 16-21.
  • Patrick, H. Straub, C. & Wolf, S. (2005). Learning styles of allied health students using Kolb’s LSI- Iia. Journal of Allied Health. 34(3), 177-182.
  • Petrakova, A. & Sadana, R. (2007) Problems and progress in public health education. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 85(12), 901-980.
  • Postle, G. D., & Sturman, A. (2000). Models of Online Learning as a Factor in Online Education: An Australian case study. Keynote address presented at the Society for Research in Higher Education Conference, Stirling,
  • UK.Frazier, P. A., Tix, A. P. & Barron, K. E. (2004). Testing moderator and mediator effects in counseling psychology research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 115-134.
  • Raelin, J.A. (2006). Does action learning promote collaborative leadership?. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 5(2), 152-68.
  • Raelin, J.A., & Coghlan, D. (2006). Developing managers as learners and researchers: using action learning and action research. Journal of Management Education, 30(5), 670-89.
  • Reid, G. (2005). Learning Styles and Inclusion. London: PCP.
  • Richmond, A. S., & Cummings, R. (2005). Implementing Kolb’s learning styles into online distance education. International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 1(1), 45-54.
  • Rothwell, W. J., & Kazanas, H.C. (1999). Building In-house Leadership and Management Development Programs. Quorum Books: Westport, CN.
  • Saks, A. M., Haccoun, R. R., & Belcourt, M. (2010). Managing Through Training and Development. Toronto:Nelson Education 5th Edition.
  • Salas, E., & Kosarzycki, M. P. (2003). Why Don’t Organizations Pay Attention to (and Use) Findings from the Science of Training?, Human Resource Development Quarterly, 14(4), 487-491.
  • Salehi, A., Strawderman, L., Huang, Y., Ahmed, S., & Babski-Reeves, K. (2009). Effectiveness of Three Training Delivery Methods in a Voluntary Program, Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 53, 1959-63.
  • Sanders, T. (2011). Hotel Front Offi ce Training: Turning Expense into Investment. UNLV Theses/Dissertations/ Professional Papers/Capstones. Paper 1103.
  • Schaller, D.T., Borun, M., Allison-Bunnell, S., & Chamber, M. (2007). One Size Does not Fit all: Learning Style, Play, and on-line interactive. Paper presented at the Museums and the Web 2007: The international conference for culture and heritage on-line, Toronto, Canada.
  • Sein, M., Bostrom, R., & Olfman, L. (1987). Training endusers to computers: Cognitive, motivational, and social issues. Information Systems and Operations Research, 25, 236–254.
  • Shell, R. (1991). Personality and socialization correlates of vicarious emotional responding. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(3), 459-470.
  • Sinniah, V. (2008). Management Training Methods: Relative Effectiveness and Frequency of Use in Malaysian Context. (Unpublished Master’s thesis). University of Malaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Sogunro, O. A. (1997). Impact of Training on Leadership Development: Lessons From a Leadership Training Program. Evaluation Review, 21, 713-737, doi:10.1177/0193841X9702100605
  • Souba, W.W. (2006). The inward journey of leadership. Journal of surgical research, 131, 159-167.
  • Stogdill, R. M. (1950). Leadership, membership and organization. Psychological Bulletin, 47, 1-14. Terrell, S. (2002). Learning style as a predictor of success in a limited residency doctoral program. The Internet in Higher Education. 5(4), 345-352.
  • Thompson, J. (2007). Training supervisors to be leaders: a missing element in efforts to improve federal performance. Washington: Partnership for Public Service.
  • Tooth, T. (2000). The use of multimedia in distance education. Vancouver, Canada: Commonwealth of Learning. Retrieved from http://www.col.org/ SiteCollectionDocuments/KS2000%20multimedia.pdf
  • Trinka, J. A. (2005). What’s a manager to do?. Industrial And Commercial Training, 37 (3), 154-159, DOI 10.1108/00197850510593773.
  • Ugur, B., Akkoyunlu, B., & Kurbanoglu, S. (2011). Students opinions on blended learning and its implementation in terms of their learning styles. Education and Information Technologies, 16(1), 5-23. doi: 10.1007/ s10639-009-9109-9
  • Van Ameijde, J.D.J., Nelson, P.C., Billsberry, J., & Van Meurs, N. (2009). Improving leadership in Higher Education Institutions: a distributed perspective. Higher Education, doi:10.1007/s10734-009-9224-y.
  • Van der Sluis, L.E.C. & Poell, R.F. (2002). Learning opportunities and learning behaviour: a study among MBAs in their early career stage. Management Learning, 33(3), 145–156.
  • Van Velsor, E., & McCauley, C.D. (2004). Our view of leadership development. In C.D. MacCauley and E. Van Velsor (Eds.), Handbook of leadership development. (2nd edn). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Vicere, A. A., & Fulmer, R. M. (1998). Leadership by Design. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, MA. Voci, E., & Young, K. (2001). Blended learning working in a leadership development programme. Industrial and Commercial Training, 33(5), 157-160.
  • Wagonhurst, C. (2002). Effective training programs. Journal of Research Administration. 33(2), 77 - 81. Webster, J., & Martocchio, J. J. (1993). Turning work into play: implications for microcomputer software training. Journal of Management, 19(1), 127–146.
  • Wilson, M. L. (2012). Learning styles, instructional strategies, and the question of matching: A literature review. International Journal of Education, 4(3), 67-87. doi :10.5296/ije.v4i3.1785
  • Wyrick, D. (2003). Understanding learning styles to be a more refl ective team leader and engineering manager. Engineering Management Journal, 15, 27-33.
  • Young, D. P., & Dixon, N. M. (1996). Helping Leaders Take Effective Action: A Program Evaluation, Greensboro: NC.
  • Zacharis, N. Z. (2010). The impact of learning styles on student achievement in a web-based versus an equivalent face-to-face course. College Student Journal, 44(3), 591- 597. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/109107
  • Zuzeviciute, V., & Tereseviciene, M. (2010). The role of a human resource manager as a facilitator of learning: Some evidence from Lithuania. Baltic Journal of Management, 5(1), 68-81.

Abstract Views: 904

PDF Views: 0




  • A Study of the Relationship Between Instructional Methods and Learning Styles in Learning Leadership Skills

Abstract Views: 904  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Abstract


In the present dynamic and interwoven workplace, leaders have an important role in steering the organisations towards higher
performance and yielding competitive edge. Besides being the backbone of an organisation, leaders support effective forward momentum
in organisations. At times when it is implicit that leadership is something that can be learnt or at least be improved by learning, leadership
training is significant. Leadership training is one of the most important training for building a strong workplace and organisational success. In
order to excel at workplace, today managers are generally provided leadership skills, especially communication skills to manage the diversity
in an organisation. A case study approach was adopted to explore the relationship between instructional methods and learning style on learning
performance in leadership skills training. Results of a 4 × 3 ANOVA revealed significant main effects for instructional methods and learning
styles. However, the interaction effect was found to be insignificant. Implications of the findings of the study have been discussed in detail.

Keywords


Leadership Skills, Training, Instructional Method, Learning Style

References