EFFECTS OF LEARNING STYLES AND CLASS PARTICIPATION ON STUDENTS ENJOYMENT LEVEL IN DISTRIBUTED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

This study explores the effect of learning styles and online participation on students' self-reported enjoyment levels in distributed learning environments. One hundred and sixty-nine entering students, who were enrolled in their first course totally via Internet, were chosen from masters' students in the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of North Texas. The students were asked to complete Kolb's Learning-Style Inventory during a face-to-face training session on web-based learning. Subjects also reported their performance and enjoyment level in the course near the end of the term. Web Course Tool (WebCT) courseware automatically recorded every student's participation in terms of pages accessed, pages read, and total postings made. Multiple regression analysis found learning style significantly impacts students' enjoyment level but class participation does not. Learning styles and class participation together explain students' enjoyment level with an effect size of R2 = .125 (p < .01). Learning styles also statistically impact student participation in terms of hits (p = .028) and posts (p = .038) in this web-based course.