Learning styles preferences of statistics students: A study in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the UAE University

Purpose – Although there are many studies addressing the learning styles of business students as well as students of other disciplines, there are few studies which address the learning style preferences of statistics students. The purpose of this study is to explore the learning style preferences of statistics students at a United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). Furthermore, it investigates whether there are statistically significant differences along the four dimensions of learning styles due to students’ demographic and academic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires were distributed to the whole population which included 79 undergraduate statistics students at the UAEU, of which 69 returned the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to present the main characteristics of respondents and the results of the study. Additionally, a chi-square test was used to find out if there were significant differences along the four dimensions of learning style preferences due to students’ demographic and academic characteristics. Findings – The results indicate that UAEU undergraduate statistics students have balanced preferences along the four dimensions of learning styles. Results also suggest that there are no statistically significant differences along the four dimensions of learning styles due to students’ demographic and academic characteristics, except in the active-reflective and sensing-intuitive dimensions with respect to high school type (private vs public). Research limitations/implications – There are a number of limitations associated with this study. First, the findings of the study are based on data from only one university. Second, the sample was small and limited to undergraduate statistics students and, therefore, it excluded graduate students who might have had different experiences. Third, the results are based on a self-reported questionnaire and this, in turn, might have affected the reliability of the results On the other hand, it has a number of implications for educators and students. Educators will benefit from the results of this study in the sense that they will adopt teaching styles and strategies that match learning styles of the majority of their students. Students themselves will benefit from knowing their own learning style. Originality/value – The present study is the first attempt to explore learning styles preference of undergraduate students not only in the UAE setting but also in the developing country setting.