Learning styles and
personality types of Computer Science students at a South African
university
V. Galpin, I. Sanders, and P. Chen
Proceedings of the 12th annual SIGCSE conference
on Innovation
and Technology in Computer Science Education, Dundee, Scotland,
25-27 June 2007, 201-205.
Abstract
This research investigates the learning styles and personality types
of Computer Science students at the University of the Witwatersrand
in Johannesburg, South Africa using the Kolb Learning Style Inventory
and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, respectively. Students were found
to be predominantly abstract in their learning, and they did not show
strong preferences on the reflective/active dimension hence they had
either a Converger or Assimilator learning style which is consistent
with prior research. Across the three years of undergraduate study,
learning styles became more balanced in terms of the reflective/active
dimension. Students were predominantly ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ or ESFJ in
their personality types showing a strong presence of the SJ temperament
which is associated with organisation, planning and decision-making.
This result is less consistent with prior research. There were no
significant differences over the three years in personality type.
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