Diagnosis of Learning Styles in University Students from Ambato, Ecuador

Abstract

The study analyzed the predominant learning styles among university students of the Faculty of Human Sciences and Education at the Technical University of Ambato, Ecuador, their levels of preference and differences, as well as their possible associations with sociodemographic and academic variables. The research adopted a mixed-methods approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and descriptive–correlational design. A total of 425 students, selected through purposive sampling, participated in the study and completed the CHAEA questionnaire (α = 0.76). The results showed that the reflective learning style was the most frequent among university students (37.9%). Moderate preference was the most common across all styles, particularly the reflective one (43.06%). The ANOVA analysis revealed significant differences among the four styles (p < 0.05). Tukey’s post hoc test (HSD) confirmed that the reflective style was statistically different from the others, whereas no significant difference was found between the active and theoretical styles. No significant correlations were observed between learning styles and the analyzed variables; therefore, learning styles are considered stable personal traits, minimally influenced by external factors. It is recommended to design personalized teaching strategies that integrate reflection and action as complementary axes.