Learning Styles of Undergraduate Business Students: A Cross-Cultural Comparison between the US, India, and Korea

Abstract

An understanding of learning styles is important both for social scientists and for those interested in improving educational environments for students. This study uses Hofstede's cross-cultural framework and Kolb's experiential learning model to examine the cross-cultural differences in the learning styles of students. Using survey data from a total of 623 undergraduate business students from three countries (US, Korea and India), we find that the learning styles of students differ across the three cultures. The findings indicate that students from the US prefer reflective observation and concrete experience, while students from India prefer active experimentation and abstract conceptualization. In contrast, students from Korea prefer reflective observation and abstract conceptualization.