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Varied approaches to learning have been observed in general and among students in specific disciplines, including those that study hospitality and tourism (Dale & McCarthy, 2006; Lashley & Barron, 2006, Lashley, 1999). Students may indicate that they prefer to learn in particular ways and historically, different learning styles have been proposed, often determined by various learning style inventories developed over the last few decades (e.g. Dunn & Dunn, 1989; Felder & Silverman, 1988; Fleming, 2001; Fleming & Mills, 1992; Gregorc, 1979; Honey & Mumford, 2000; Kolb, 1984). However, in spite of the work on learning styles and subsequently on the process of assessing the learning styles and then matching these to teaching styles, a number of scholars indicate that there is not enough evidence from research to indicate that students learn better through their own specific learning styles (e.g. Kazan, 2018; Kirschner, 2017: Newton & Miah, 2017; Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, & Bjork, 2008). The focus on learning styles as a means to enhance learning has even been called a “myth” (e.g. Kirschner, 2017; Newton & Miah, 2017). Given that evidence does not appear to weigh in favor of the use of learning styles, the question arises as to whether or not students’ learning preferences matter. Although learning styles have been disputed by the work of numerous scholars (e.g. Farka, Mazurek, & Marone, 2016; Newton & Miah, 2017), it is hard to argue that attention to how students prefer to learn is not important since students make choices about where they wish to learn (in terms of the institutions they choose and the programs they select), about how they study, and about how their needs or desires with regard to learning can best be met. Yet, even though previous studies have focused on documenting students’ learning styles, few studies have addressed the need for students to understand their own learning preferences and how those may impact how and what they learn. Knowing more about how students prefer to learn is important in education in all subject areas, including hospitality and tourism, especially as course delivery modes continue to become more varied to include not only face-to-face classes and fully online ones, but also and increasingly a broad range of hybrid courses as well, using a variety of types of technology. Therefore, through this Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study, the author sought to understand more about how hospitality and tourism students prefer to learn, to have students reflect on their own learning, as recommended by others (e.g. Kaplan, Silver, Lavaque-Manty, & Meizlish, 2013), and to consider the implications that these preferences have for instructor-centered and student-centered teaching methods. For even if learning styles are considered a myth by a number of scholars, students’ preferences for how they learn may make a difference in terms of what subjects and disciplines they choose to study and ultimately how and what they choose to learn.

international journal for the scholarship of teaching and learning

Learning Preferences Instead of Learning Styles: A Case Study of Hospitality Management Students’ Perceptions of How They Learn Best and Implications for Teaching and Learning