How Cognitive Styles Affect the E-learning Process

In the last decades AHLSs have increasingly focused on human factors to develop didactic methods able to personalize learning contents to students´ needs and prior knowledge. In agreement with this perspective, the present research aimed at assessing the relationship between cognitive styles and learning process in a SCORM setting. 119 undergraduate students were divided into two groups, e-learners and traditional learners. All participants completed both the Cognitive Style Questionnaire and the Intrinsic Motivation Scale in order to evenly distribute the sample. The e-learners received then the teaching materials adapted to their preferred cognitive style, whereas the traditional learners received the same but non-adapted materials. The research findings indicated the key role of the adaptation of learning contents to cognitive style in a e-learning setting even though participants´ intrinsic motivation resulted low.