VARK -- Advice to Users of the Questionnaire

The questionnaire alerts students and teachers to the variety of different approaches to learning. It also supports students who have been having difficulties with their studies and teachers who would like to develop additional learning strategies for their classrooms. It can be used with a group or class or with one-to-one counseling, but it does require some explanation to avoid students or teachers leaping to inappropriate conclusions.

Administering the questionnaire

1. When you are instructing others to fill in the questionnaire they should be verbally advised to make a selection (a, b, c or d) for each question, but they may omit a question or choose two or three options if appropriate. Some may contest the meaning of words in the questionnaire and others may ask for additional contextual or situational information before they choose their answers. Avoid giving further information, as it may prejudice responses to the questions.

2. You should indicate the use to which the data will be put and what is being done to protect confidentiality. Voluntary postings of the results (on an overhead or blackboard) can be helpful in analyzing preferences and letting participants gain an understanding of the diversity present in the room.

Analyzing the results

1. Ask participants to determine the total number of responses they have selected on the questionnaire. Using an overhead or copies of the table below, then ask participants to find the horizontal row that applies to the number of responses they have selected.

   Total Number of Responses	Very Strong Preference indicated by a difference of	Strong Preference indicated by a difference of	Mild Preference indicated by a difference of
   Up to 16	4+	3	2
   17-22	5+	4	3
   23-30	6+	5	4
   31+	7+	6	5

   Next, ask participants to select their highest VARK score. Then they should eliminate the other scores (for V, A, R, or K) that differ from that one by an amount greater than (or equal to) the number indicated in the "Mild Preference" column. For examples of this process, study the table below.

   	V	A	R	K	(Total)
   Maria	10	0	2	1	(13)
   Adam	8	7	4	5	(23)
   Vila	7	1	6	4	(19)
   Peter	3	3	5	3	(14)

   Maria has a very strong visual preference (V) [10-2=8, so A, R , and K are eliminated]. Adam is multi-modal (VAK) [8-4=4, so R is eliminated]. Vila is multi-modal (V and R) [7-3=4, eliminating A and K], and Peter has a mild preference for Read/write [5-2=3, eliminating V, A and K] .

   The tables above indicate a 'rule of thumb' and should not be rigidly applied. Remember that the questionnaire is not intended to 'box' respondents into a mindset that they have been 'diagnosed'. Rather, it is designed to initiate discussion about and reflection upon learning preferences.

2. It is not expected that any one preference will be dominant or that all participants will be multimodal. Initial data suggests that the number of multimodal students in a class can range from approximately 50% to 90%, depending upon the context. Approximately 50% of faculty seem to be multi-modal, although they usually show a preference for Read/write as one choice. Correspondingly, there will be some students or faculty that have a strong or very strong preference that stands out from all others. The most consistent finding from questionnaire results is that our classrooms are very diverse. Faculty members cannot assume that students learn as they do.

3. Pay particular attention to zero scores on any mode and even more attention to them if the total number of responses is high. Zero scores are unusual and the respondent will often have an interesting story to tell.

Talking the results through with a group

1. The acronym VARK stands for Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic sensory modalities that are used for learning information. Fleming and Mills (1992) created four categories that seemed to reflect the experiences of their students. Although there is some overlap between categories, for purposes of our discussion, they are defined as follows. [For a detailed description of the initial construction and limitations of VARK, and for other works on learning styles, see the bibliography.]

   Visual (v):
   This preference includes the depiction of information in charts, graphs, flow charts, and all the symbolic arrows, circles, hierarchies and other devices that instructors use to represent what could have been presented in words.

   Aural (A):
   This perceptual mode describes a preference for information that is "'heard." Students with this modality report that they learn best from lectures, tutorials, and talking to other students.

   Read/write (R):
   This preference is for information displayed as words. Not surprisingly, many academics have a strong preference for this modality.

   Kinesthetic (K):
   By definition, this modality refers to the "perceptual preference related to the use of experience and practice (simulated or real)." Although such an experience may invoke other modalities, the key is that the student is connected to reality, "either through experience, example, practice or simulation" [See Fleming & Mills, 1992, pp. 140-141].

   The power of VARK is that students and faculty understand it intuitively and it seems to fit practice.

2. Stress that the results indicate preferences not strengths in whatever way you can. This reduces the respondent's anxiety, sometimes expressed as "But I am good visually!" or "But I like reading!"
   PREFERENCES ARE NOT THE SAME AS STRENGTHS

3. You should make the point that any differences may lessen as individuals mature. Work experiences and life experiences will blur the boundaries as people learn to use aural, visual, Read/write and kinesthetic modes equally well. Preferences may be masked by experiences.

4. Students should take advantage of their preferences and use the study and test-taking strategies listed in the accompanying materials. These can be used by students or the teacher to investigate the preferences shown and to explore the students' own views about whether the preference is recognized by them. For example, a student with a strong visual (V) preference could be asked: How important is color in your life? Do you consider yourself a visual person? Are there aspects of your life where your visual preference is obvious? Do you think you have a strong sense of space or shape?

5. Some multi-modal students may need to process information in more than one mode in order to get effective understanding. Students should be encouraged to try study strategies listed under their preferences that they may not have tried before. Experience tells us that many students become much more successful if they develop a range of study strategies based upon their preferences. It also indicates that it is not helpful to use strategies that lie outside their preferences (e.g. mind-maps may not help if they do not have some Visual preference; mnemonics may not help if they have low scores for Read/write.)

6. A westernized education system places heavy emphasis upon the Read/write mode in both instruction and in assessment. Since most teachers express a Read/write preference, which may constrain students with different modalities, teachers should use a variety of modes in their presentations if they are to reach every student.

7. Finally, some may ask questions about output preferences rather than input preferences. Research indicates that those who have a strong preference for "taking in the world" in any particular mode (V, A, R, or K) will want to output in the same mode.

Bibliography

Claxton, C.S. & Smith, W.F. (1984). Learning styles: Implications for improving educationalpractices. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 4, Washington, DC: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

Fleming, N.D. & Mills, C. (1992). Not another inventory, rather a catalyst for reflection To improve the academy, (11), 137-149.

Grasha, A.F. (1996). Teaching with style. Pittsburgh, PA: Alliance Publishers

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Lawrence, G. (1982). People types and tiger stripes. [Second edition]. Gainesville, FL: CAPT