EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING STYLES AND SKILL ACQUISITION: A STUDY WITH BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION STUDENTS AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to identify the styles of experiential learning and its relation to the perception of the abilities acquired by students after the application of a case study. A survey-based quantitative research was conducted on undergraduate students from the Business Administration course of a public and a comunity university. To achieve the objective proposed, two tools were used to collect data: Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (LSI) (1984) and the Skills Acquisition Questionnaire by Miles, Biggs and Schubert (1986). Data analysis was performed using single and multivariate statistical techniques. The results of the study indicated the heterogeneity of learning styles, with the predominant styles being the Assimilating and Converging ones. Factor analysis led to the proposition of five groups of abilities - planning and integrated management action, managerial behavior, interpersonal communication and confidence in solving problems. The study revealed that the use of a case study can contribute to the development of abilities, but also the nature of the skill that is being developed is likely to be influenced by the learning style. However, this relationship needs to be better understood in future studies.