CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 13, 169-184 (1988) Verbal and Visual Learning Styles JOHN R. KIRBY Queen’s University PHILLIP J. MOORE University of Newcastle AND NEVILLE J. SCHOFIELD Newcastle College of Advanced Education Three studies are reported concerning the development of a questionnaire to assess verbal and visual learning styles. The test instrument is based upon Richardson’s Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire (VVQ). In the first study, it is shown that the VVQ requires more than a single bipolar dimension, and that when two dimensions are extracted, the hypothesized visual dimension is defined mainly by dream vividness and is not related to self-reported mental imagery. In the second study, an expanded questionnaire is constructed to assess the verbal and dream dimensions located in the first study, as well as a visual dimension more related to mental imagery. Both the verbal and visual scales are designed to be more relevant to preferences in learning. The three scales are shown to possess adequate reliability and construct validity. In the third study, the correlations of the three scales with various mental abilities are explored: as hypothesized, the verbal learning style is most strongly correlated with verbal ability and the visual learning style with spatial visualization. Possible directions for future research are discussed: further validation of the three scales, investigation of the development of learning styles, and the use of the style scales in studies of teaming. D 1988 Academic Press, 1~. Do some students prefer to learn verbally (in words, by reading or listening), while others prefer information that is more visual in nature (graphs, diagrams, pictures)? If such preferences exist, are they related to the students’ verbal and spatial abilities? To what extent would such preferences (or styles) limit the success of instructional programs? These questions have comprised a persistent theme in educational psychology, and the absence of clear data has not prevented many practitioners from answering them firmly in the afftrmative. In this paper we describe our efforts to design an instrument to assess individuals’ preferences for verbal or visual learning. Some of the diffi- culties encountered in doing so provide insights into the nature of such Requests for reprints should be sent to John R. Kirby, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6. 169 0361-476X/88 $3.00 Copyright 6 1988 by Academic Press, Inc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.