THE LEARNING MODEL INSTRUMENT*

PLACE AN "X" IN THE BOX THAT CORRESPONDS TO YOUR RESPONSE TO THE QUESTIONS LISTED BELOW. 1. When meeting people, I prefer a. to think and speculate on what they are like. b. to interact directly and to ask them questions. 2. When presented with a problem, I prefer a. to jump right in and work on a solution. b. to think through and evaluate possible ways to solve the problem. 3. I enjoy sports more when a. I am watching a good game. b. I am actively participating. 4. Before taking a vacation, I prefer a. to rush at the last minute and give little thought beforehand to what I will do while on vacation. b. to plan early and daydream about how I will spend my vacation. 5. When enrolled in courses, I prefer a. to plan how to do my homework before actually attacking the assignment. b. to immediately become involved in doing the assignment. 6. When I receive information that requires action, I prefer a. to take action immediately. b. to organize the information and determine what type of action would be most appropriate. 7. When presented with a number of alternatives for action, I prefer a. to determine how the alternatives relate to one another and analyze the consequences of each. b. to select the one that looks best and implement it.

8. When I awake every morning, I prefer a. to expect to accomplish some worthwhile work without considering what the individual tasks may entail. b. to plan a schedule for the tasks I expect to do that day. 9. After a full day's work, I prefer a. to reflect back on what I accomplished and think of how to make time the next day for unfinished tasks. b. to relax with some type of recreation and not think about my job. 10. After choosing the above responses, I a. prefer to continue and complete this instrument. b. am curious about how my response will be interpreted and would prefer some feedback before continuing with the instrument. 11. When I learn something, I am usually a. thinking about it. b. right in the middle of doing it. 12. I learn best when a. I am dealing with real-world issues. b. concepts are clear and well organized. 13. In order to retain something I have learned, I must a. periodically review it in my mind. b. practice it or try to use the information. Prepared by Dr. C. K. Barnett for UNH/WSBE Dept. of Management 1

14. In teaching others how to do something, I first a. demonstrate the task. b. explain the task. 15. My favorite way to learn to do something is a. reading a book or instructions or enrolling in a class. b. trying to do it and learning from my mistakes. 16. When I become emotionally involved with something, I usually a. let my feelings take the lead and then decide what to do. b. control my feelings and try to analyze the situation. 17. If I were meeting jointly with several experts on a subject, I would prefer a. to ask each of them for his or her opinion. b. to interact with them and share our ideas and feelings. 18. When I am asked to relate information to a group of people, I prefer a. not to have an outline, but to interact with them and become involved in an extemporaneous conversation. b. to prepare notes and know exactly what I am going to say. 19. Experience is a. a guide for building theories. b. the best teacher. 20. People learn easier when they are a. doing work on the job. b. in a class taught by an expert.

* The instrument appearing above is adapted from Kenneth L. Murrell (1987)** as his work appeared in Cohen, Allan R., Fink, Stephen L., Gadon, Herman, and Willits, Robin D. with the collaboration of Josefowitz, Natasha. 1995. Effective Behavior in OrganizationsCases, Concepts, and Student Experiences, Sixth Edition. Chicago, IL: Irwin: pp. 34-38. ** Kenneth L. Murrell, Copyright 1987. Management and O.D., University of W. Florida, Pensacola, FL. Used with permission. This instrument may be freely used for educational/training activities. Systematic or large-scale reproduction or distribution may be done only with prior written permission of the author.

Prepared by Dr. C. K. Barnett for UNH/WSBE

Dept. of Management

THE LEARNING-MODEL INSTRUMENT SCORING SHEET Instructions: Transfer your responses by writing either "a" or "b" in the blank that corresponds to each item in the Learning Model Instrument.

ABSTRACT/CONCRETE COLUMN 1 1. 3. 5. 7. 9. Total: COLUMN 2 2. 4. 6. 8. 10. Total: COLUMN 3 11. 13. 15. 17. 19. Total:

COGNITIVE/AFFECTIVE COLUMN 4 12. 14. 16. 18. 20. Total:

Now circle every "a" in Column 1 and every a in Column 4. Then circle every "b" in Column 2 and every b in Column 3. Next, count the total number of circled letters in each of the four columns and write those numbers next to the word Total in each of the 4 columns. Add the set of Total numbers in Columns 1 and 2 and write their sum here: ______. Next, PLOT this number (the sum of Columns 1 and 2) on the VERTICAL axis of the Learning Model (below). Then take a pencil and draw a horizontal line through the point and across the page. Add the Total numbers of Columns 3 and 4 and write their sum here: ______. Next, PLOT this number (the sum of Columns 3 and 4) on the HORIZONTAL axis of the Learning Model (below). Then take a pencil and draw a vertical line through the point and across the page. The place where the two pencil lines intersect indicates the domain of your dominant, preferred learning style.

NOTE BELOW: the vertical scale (Concrete to Abstract) is numbered from 0 to 10, the horizontal scale (Cognitive to Affective) is numbered from 0 to 10, and the two scales intersect at +5. ABSTRACT 10 I Thinking Planner COGNITIVE 0 III Task Implementer IV Participative Implementer II Feeling Planner 10 AFFECTIVE

0 CONCRETE Prepared by Dr. C. K. Barnett for UNH/WSBE Dept. of Management 3

Interpreting the Learning-Model Instrument The cognitive-affective axis or continuum represents the range of ways in which people learn. Cognitive learning includes learning that is structured around either rote storing of knowledge or intellectual abilities and skills, or both. Affective learning includes learning from experience, from feelings about the experience, and from ones own emotions. The concrete-abstract axis or continuum represents the range of ways in which people experience life. When people experience life abstractly, they detach themselves from the immediacy of the situation and theorize about it. If they experience life concretely, they respond to the situation directly with little subsequent contemplation. The two axes divide the model into four parts or domains. Most people experience life and learn from it in all four domains but have a preference for a particular domain. Liberal arts education has typically concentrated on abstract learning (domains I and II), whereas vocational and on-the-job training usually takes place in the lower quadrants, particularly domain III. Occupations representative of the four style include but are not limited to the following: domain I (TP) - philosopher or CEO domain II (FP) - poet or journalist domain III (TI) - architect or engineer domain IV (PI) - psychologist or personnel counselor Managerial jobs require an ability to learn in all four domains and a managers development depends on his or her ability to learn both cognitively and affectively. Thus, management education and development demand the opportunity for the participants to learn how to learn in each domain.

Prepared by Dr. C. K. Barnett for UNH/WSBE

Dept. of Management