Theory and Research in Education 1–26 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1477878515606621 tre.sagepub.com TR E Is learning styles-based instruction effective? A comprehensive analysis of recent research on learning styles Joshua Cuevas University of North Georgia, USA Abstract In an influential publication in 2009, a group of cognitive psychologists revealed that there was a lack of empirical evidence supporting the concept of learning styles-based instruction and provided guidelines for the type of research design necessary to verify the learning styles hypothesis. This article examined the literature since 2009 to ascertain whether the void has been filled by rigorous studies designed to test the matching hypothesis and identify interaction effects. Correlational and experimental research recently published on learning styles is reviewed, along with an examination of how the subject is portrayed in teacher education texts. Results revealed that the more methodologically sound studies have tended to refute the hypothesis and that a substantial divide continues to exist, with learning styles instruction enjoying broad acceptance in practice, but the majority of research evidence suggesting that it has no benefit to student learning, deepening questions about its validity. Keywords Achievement, cognition, interaction effect, learning styles, matching hypothesis, research-based instruction Background Over the last two decades, learning styles instruction has become ubiquitous in public education. It has gained influence and has enjoyed wide acceptance among educators at all levels, parents, and the general public (Pashler et al., 2009). It is prevalent in teacher Corresponding author: Joshua Cuevas, 210 A Dunlap Hall, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA 30597, USA. Email: jocue24@yahoo.com 606621TRE 0 0 10.1177/1477878515606621Theory and Research in EducationCuevas research-article 2015 Article by guest on October 7, 2015 tre.sagepub.com Downloaded from