The learning and teaching styles of Tennessee secondary business education teachers

Experts in learning styles research maintain that teachers teach the way they learn. This study was conducted to identify the learning and teaching styles of Tennessee secondary business education teachers and determine if there is a significant difference in the learning and teaching styles of the secondary business education teachers in the group. The Canfield Learning Styles and Instructional Styles Inventories were the instruments used in the study. The sample consisted of Tennessee secondary business education teachers who are advisors for BPA and FBLA.

The findings of the study led to the following conclusions: 1. As learners, the participants preferred organized classrooms and they preferred detail. They preferred not to learn independently and preferred working with people. The participants preferred field trips and role-playing exercises. They expected to do well in school.

2. The results indicated that the teachers need to be in control of the classroom. They did not prefer that students work independently.

3. The teachers did not prefer teaching math-oriented subjects.

4. The participants, as learners and teachers, had a low preference for working with equipment.

5. Most of the teachers have taught for more than 21 years and they have had to continue their schooling to survive in the discipline. This may account for most having a Master's degree plus hours.

6. The most preferred learning and teaching type was Social/ Conceptual.

7. The findings revealed that there were not significant differences in the scales of Instructor, Authority, Inanimate, and Iconic.

8. The findings from the study do not support the contention made by learning style experts that teachers teach the way they learn.

9. As years of teaching experience increased, the participants, as learners, preferred an authoritarian teacher. Teachers also preferred to learn through listening and did not feel as strongly about learning through direct experience.

10. As years of teaching experience increased, the participants, as teachers, did not have as great a preference for having organized classrooms. Their preference for teaching about people also decreased as years of teaching experience increased.