Aligning Perceptual Preference with Instructional Method in a Recreational Environment

Aligning instructional modality with students' perceptual preference (PP) or learning style is trending in educational research. However, there is little data to support this claim when instruction is geared toward a recreational activity, such as fly casting. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of implementing matched or unmatched instructional methods with student PP. There was no difference in casting performance between groups matched with their learning preferences versus those who were not matched. The data support Hanson's theory stating instruction should be dictated based on the content structure, not the learner's PP. The researchers recommend a systematic, multifaceted approach to teaching novel motor skills such as fly casting. Further, this approach could be utilized for similar motions in sport and recreation.