Reliability and validity of scores from the index of learning styles.
BACKGROUND
No medical education studies have investigated the validity of scores from Felder's Index of Learning Styles (ILS). This study evaluated the reliability of ILS scores, and compared them with scores from Pelley's Learning Styles Type Indicator (LSTI).


METHODS
Internal medicine residents completed the ILS twice and the LSTI once.


RESULTS
A total of 138 residents consented. Cronbach's alpha and test-retest correlation for ILS scores were 0.61 and 0.75 (active-reflective dimension), 0.78 and 0.81 (sensing-intuitive), 0.70 and 0.60 (visual-verbal), and 0.67 and 0.81 (sequential-global). The multitrait-multimethod matrix provided evidence of convergence and discrimination for scores from the active-reflective and sensing-intuitive dimensions of the ILS and LSTI. Cronbach's alpha for LSTI scores ranged from 0.19 to 0.69.


CONCLUSIONS
These data support the reliability and validity of scores from the ILS active-reflective and sensing-intuitive dimensions.
Cook
David A
DA
Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Baldwin 4-A, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. cook.david33@mayo.edu
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008910:Minnesota; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires