Learning Style Preferences of Adults in Religious Institutions

Abstract

There is a lack of published research on adult education programs in religious institutions. While religious institutions encourage their members to attend religious education opportunities, it may often be out of tradition. This study aims to begin the conversation around the tradition of Sunday School, specifically, the learning style preferences of adults in three churches in the United States. In this study, the religious institutions participating are churches in the Christian faith. The Index of Learning Styles, with demographic questions, was sent to members and attendees of participating churches. Analysis of variance was used to determine if there was a relationship between learning style preference and a participant’s gender, education level, and Sunday School attendance. The results showed that there was no significant difference between learning style preference and gender, education level, and Sunday School attendance. However, one church, on average, was more Active compared to the other churches who were, on average, more Reflective. While most of the participants indicated they attend Sunday School most of the time, results of this study suggest that Sunday School may appeal to more than one learning style preference.