Summative EEG-based Assessment of the Relations between Learning Styles and Personality Traits of Openness

Learning styles (LS), being one of the important attributes of a learner's profile, are relevant to different aspects of teaching and learning such as the learner's achievement and motivation. Equally important is the personality traits of ‘Openness’, which relate positively to knowledge and skill acquisition, thus making them relevant to learning and learners differences. Recognizing the importance of LS and Openness in profiling learners, the researchers carried out this study to examine the relationship between these two factors using a novel method based on Electroencephalogram (EEG) technology. In this research, Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (KLSI) was used to determine 131 participants’ LS: Diverger, Assimilator, Converger or Accommodator . The EEG technology was used to record the participants’ brain signals (with their eyes closed) to generate the dataset of EEG Beta band of baseline condition. Later, the dataset was processed and classified based on the LS using the 2-Step Cluster Analysis . The result showed that the brain signals could be processed effectively to classify the participants’ LS. More importantly, among the LS studied, convergers and assimilators were observed to have positive and strong relation with Openness. Between the two learning styles, assimilators were found to have stronger relation with Openness than convergers.