Perspectives on the Nature of Intellectual Styles

Teachers often assume that student performance levels are based on the student's intelligence, effort, and motivation. This book argues that the difference in students' knowledge of course material may be nothing more than differences in intellectual styles of learning or thinking. Intellectual styles, an umbrella term for such constructs as cognitive styles, learning styles, teaching styles, and thinking styles, refer to people's preferred ways of processing information. This stimulating and provocative text integrates the most recent theories and research on intellectual styles. It distinguishes styles from other constructs, such as intellectual capacity or effort levels. It situates the field of styles within the large context of the psychological, educational, and business literatures. It presents perspectives on the controversial issues and emerging debates in the field. It provides concrete guidelines for practitioners to apply the concept of styles to educational and business settings.