Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology 20 th August 2015. Vol.78. No.2 © 2005 - 2015 JATIT & LLS. All rights reserved . ISSN: 1992-8645 www.jatit.org E-ISSN: 1817-3195 262 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRAIN-BASED LEARNING STYLES AND BEHAVIOURAL LEARNING PATTERNS IN WEB-BASED EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS 1 MOHAMMED AHMED GHAZAL, 2 NOR AZAN MAT ZIN, ZURINA MUDA 1, First Author , *2,Corresponding Author Centre for Software Technology and Management Research (SOFTAM), Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM BANGI, Selangor, Malaysia E-mail: mohammed.ghazal@gmail.com, {azan, zurina}@ukm.edu.my ABSTRACT Web-Based Educational Systems (WBESs) deliver the same design features such as learning content and user interface to all learners. However, learners have different preferences according to their brain structures. The brain dominance determines how learners prefer to learn, communicate, collaborate and solve problems effectively. Tracking learners’ behaviours within the WBES is an essential approach to predict the learners’ Learning Styles. Therefore, the relationship between learners’ behavioural interactions in WBES and Learning Styles should be examined. This study investigated the learning patterns of 69 respondents within WBES with respect to Herrmann Whole Brain Model (HWBM) Learning Style. Results showed that there is a significant correlation between some learning patterns and HWBM Learning Styles. The most preferred features for designing WBES according to Learning Style model were also identified. The results can be used for developing an adaptive learner model. Keywords: Herrmann Whole Brain Model Learning Style (HWBM LS), Behavioural Learning Patterns, Design Features of Web-Based Educational System (WBES), Learner Modelling, Systematic Observation Study. 1. INTRODUCTION Currently, Learning Style is used to personalize the Web-Based Educational System (WBES) [1, 2]. It comprises the learner preferences for describing what he/she likes to do during practicing the learning process. Every learner has a preferred Learning Style which facilitates his/her learning process, improves his/her satisfaction, and makes learning more effective. The most accepted Learning Style definition is stated by Keefe in [3] as “the composite of characteristic cognitive, affective, and psychological behaviours that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment”. Coffield et al. [4] reviewed and identified 71 Learning Style models; 13 of which were found to affect the tailoring for learning environment. Yet, there is no consensus on standards of the most acceptable Learning Style model for modelling learner preferences in an Adaptive Web-based Educational Systems (AWBES) [5]. BECTA [6] highlighted that Learning Style and cognitive style share the same meaning, and they are sometimes used interchangeably. Whereas, Triantafillou et al. [7] maintained that there are technical differences between the cognitive and Learning Styles; and they do not have the same definitions as mooted in [8]. For instance, cognitive style reflects the cognitive activities (perceiving, thinking and remembering), while Learning Style covers a broader construct, including the behavioural data and physiological styles along with cognitive style. Peterson et al. [5] have also elaborated that cognitive style is related to most innate and intrinsic characteristics, and closely relate to fundamental information processing mechanisms designed according to learner’s brain structure; however, Learning Style is a malleable characteristic and it is identified dependently according to domain and environment, where, it reflects the preferred method of responding to learning tasks [5]. Hence, the issue motivate this current study’s investigation for a more reliable Learning Style model based on learners’ brain