The Ethnocentric Origins of the Learning Style Idea

Abstract

In recent years, researchers have questioned the legitimacy of the so-called myth of learning styles and expressed confusion about exactly when and why the idea first emerged. This historical study traces the origin and emergence of the learning style idea. The author argues that the learning style idea originated in the 1960s as part of a broader effort to reach inner-city African American youth that certain educators deemed culturally deficient. By the time scholars developed learning style inventory instruments for mostly white children, they removed the race-specific language, and educators quickly forget the ethnocentric origins of the learning style idea.