Cultural Determinants of Learning Style Preferences

We investigate the relationship between cultural values and the learning style preferences of students of business administration. By linking Kolb's (1984) model of learning style preferences to the cultural values of learners we develop hypotheses that are tested against data collected from 939 individuals studying at universities in Germany, the UK, the USA, Russia, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, China, and the United Arab Emirates. Our findings show that learning style preferences vary with individuals' cultural values. We also find that study level, exchange student status, and gender are related to individuals' learning style preferences. The results are of importance to researchers and practitioners interested in the learning process of individuals from different cultural backgrounds.