Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire

This questionnaire is designed to find out your preferred learning styles(s) as an

adult. Over the years, you have probably developed learning habits that help you
benefit more from some experiences than from others. You may be unaware of this, and this
questionnaire will help you pinpoint your learning preferences and share them with the other
Community Facilitators.

This questionnaire will probably take you about 10 minutes to complete. The accuracy of your
results depends on how honest you are. There are no right or wrong answers. If you agree more
than you disagree with a statement, place a tick (ü) in the box to the left of the question. If
you disagree more than you agree, leave the box blank. If you find yourself wondering which
situation to think of when answering a question, just think about how you are when you are working
with people. Go with your first gut reaction instead of over-thinking your response.

QUESTIONS
1. I have strong beliefs about what is right and wrong, good and bad.

2. I often act without considering the possible consequences.

3. I tend to solve problems using a step-by-step approach.

4. I believe that formal procedures and policies restrict people.

5. I have a reputation for saying what I think, simply and directly.

I often find that actions based on feelings are as sound as those based on careful
6.
thought and analysis.

7. I like the sort of work where I have time for thorough preparation and implementation.

8. I regularly question people about their basic assumptions.

9. What matters most is whether something works in practice.

10. I actively seek out new experiences.

When I hear about a new idea or approach, I immediately start working out how to
11.
apply it in practice.

I am keen on self discipline such as watching my diet, taking regular exercise, sticking
12.
to a fixed routine, etc.

13. I take pride in doing a thorough job.

I get on best with logical, analytical people and less well with spontaneous, ‘irrational’
14.
people.

Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire 1

 15. I take care over how I interpret data and avoid jumping to conclusions.

16. I like to reach a decision carefully after weighing up many alternatives.

17. I am attracted more to novel, unusual ideas than to practical ones.

18. I don’t like disorganised things and prefer to fit things into a coherent pattern.

I accept and stick to laid down procedures and policies so long as I regard them as an
19.
efficient way of getting the job done.

20. I like to relate my actions to a general principle, standard or belief.

21. In discussions, I like to get straight to the point.

22. I tend to have distant, rather formal relationships with people at work.

23. I thrive on the challenge of tackling something new and different.

24. I enjoy fun-loving spontaneous people.

25. I pay careful attention to detail before coming to a conclusion.

26. I find it difficult to produce ideas on impulse.

27. I believe in coming to the point immediately.

28. I am careful not to jump to conclusions too quickly.

I prefer to have as many sources of information as possible – the more information to

29.
think over the better.

30. Flippant, superficial people who don’t take things seriously enough usually irritate me.

31. I listen to other people’s points of view before putting my own view forward.

32. I tend to be open about how I’m feeling.

33. In discussions, I enjoy watching the plotting and scheming of the other participants.

I prefer to respond to events in a spontaneous, flexible way rather than plan things out
34.
in advance.

35. I tend to be attracted to techniques such as flow charts, contingency plans etc.

36. It worries me if I have to rush work to meet a tight deadline.

Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire 2

 37. I tend to judge people’s ideas on their practical merits.

38. Quiet, thoughtful people tend to make me feel uneasy.

39. I often get irritated by people who want to rush things.

40. It is more important to enjoy the present moment than to think about he past or future.

I think that decisions based on a careful analysis of all the information are better than
41.
those based on intuition.

42. I tend to be a perfectionist.

43. In discussions, I usually produce lots of spontaneous ideas.

44. In meetings, I put forward practical, realistic ideas.

45. More often than not, rules are there to be broken.

46. I prefer to stand back from a situation and consider all the perspectives.

47. I can often see inconsistencies and weaknesses in other people’s arguments.

48. On balance I talk more than I listen.

49. I can often see better, more practical ways to get things done.

50. I think written reports should be short and to the point.

51. I believe that rational, logical thinking should win the day.

52 I tend to discuss specific things with people rather than engaging in social discussion.

53. I like people who approach things realistically rather than theoretically.

54. In discussions, I get impatient with irrelevant issues and digressions.

If I have a report to write, I tend to produce lots of drafts before settling on the final
55.
version.

56. I am keen to try things out to see if they work in practice.

Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire 3

 57. I am keen to reach answers via a logical approach.

58. I enjoy being the one that talks a lot.

In discussions, I often find I am a realist, keeping people to the point and avoiding wild
59.
speculations.

60. I like to ponder many alternatives before making up my mind.

61. In discussions with people I often find I am the most dispassionate and objective.

In discussions I’m more likely to adopt a ‘low profile’ than to take the lead and do most
62.
of the talking.

63. I like to be able to relate current actions to the longer-term bigger picture.

64. When things go wrong, I am happy to shrug it off and ‘put it down to experience’.

65. I tend to reject wild, spontaneous ideas as being impractical.

66. It’s best to think carefully before taking action.

67. On balance, I do the listening rather than the talking.

68. I tend to be tough on people who find it difficult to adopt a logical approach.

69. Most times I believe the end justifies the means.

70. I don’t mind hurting people’s feelings so long as the job gets done.

71. I find the formality of having specific objectives and plans stifling.

72. I’m usually one of the people who puts life into a party.

73. I do whatever is practical to get the job done.

74. I quickly get bored with methodical, detailed work.

I am keen on exploring the basic assumptions, principles and theories underpinning

75.
things and events.

76. I’m always interested to find out what people think.

Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire 4

 77. I like meetings to be run on methodical lines, sticking to laid down agenda.

78. I steer clear of subjective (biased) or ambiguous (unclear) topics.

79. I enjoy the drama and excitement of a crisis situation.

80. People often find me insensitive to their feelings.

Scoring
You score one point for each item you ticked. There are no points for items you crossed. Go
back over your responses and simply circle the question number in the table below for each
question you ticked. Then add up the number of circled responses in the Totals row.

QUESTION NUMBER
2 7 1 5
4 13 3 9
6 15 8 11
10 16 12 19
17 25 14 21
23 28 18 27
24 29 20 35
32 31 22 37
34 33 26 44
38 36 30 49
40 39 42 50
43 41 47 53
45 46 51 54
48 52 57 56
58 55 61 59
64 60 63 65
71 62 68 69
72 66 75 70
74 67 77 73
79 76 78 80
Totals:
Activist Reflector Theorist Pragmatist

Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire 5

Your preferred learning styles
Now circle your total scores for each learning style on the table below to determine the strength of
your preference.

ACTIVIST REFLECTOR THEORIST PRAGMATIST

20 20 20 20 Very strong
19 19 19 19 preference
18 18 18 18
17 17 17
16 16
15
14
13
12 17 15 16 Strong
11 16 14 15 preference
15
10 14 13 14 Moderate
9 13 12 13 preference
8 12 11 12
7
6 11 10 11 Low
5 10 9 10 preference
4 9 8 9
3 8 7 8 Very low
2 7 6 7 preference
1 6 5 6
0 5 4 5
4 3 4
3 2 3
2 1 2
1 0 1
0 0

"--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please cut/tear off this section and hand it to your team leader

Name: ___________________________________________________________

I have very strong preference for ______________________________

I have a strong preference for ______________________________

I have a moderate preference for ______________________________

I have a low preference for ______________________________

I have a very low preference for ______________________________

Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire 6

ACTIVISTS want practical tasks and very little theory. They learn best from activities where:
§ New experiences are emphasised;
§ The focus is on the present and on doing such activities as games, problem solving,
simulations;
§ There is a lot of action and excitement;
§ They can lead and be in the limelight;
§ Ideas are generated without any concern about practical constraints;
§ They have to respond to a challenge and take risks;
§ The central focus is on team problem-solving.

THEORISTS want handouts, something to take away and study. They learn best from activities
where;
§ The learning forms a part of a conceptual whole, such as a model for a theory;
§ There is time to explore the interrelationship amongst elements;
§ They can explore the theory and methodology underlying the subject under investigation;
§ They are intellectually stretched;
§ There is a clear and obvious purpose to the activities;
§ There is a reliance on rationality and logic;
§ They can analyse situations and then generalise their findings;
§ They are asked to understand complex situations.

REFLECTORS want lots of breaks to go off and read and discuss. They learn best from activities
where;
§ There are opportunities to observe and consider;
§ There is a strong element of passive involvement such as listening to a speaker or watching a
video;
§ There is time to think before having to act or contribute;
§ There is opportunity for research and problems can be probed in some depth;
§ They can review what was happening;
§ They are asked to produce reports that carefully analyse a situation or issue;
§ There is interaction with others without any risks of strong feelings coming to the fore;
§ They can finalise a view without being put under pressure.

PRAGMATISTS want shortcuts and tips. They learn best from activities where;
§ There is a clear link back to some job-related problem;
§ Material is directed towards techniques that make their work easier;
§ They are able to practice what they have learned;
§ They can relate to a successful role model;
§ There are many opportunities to implement what has been learned;
§ The relevance is obvious and the learning is easily transferred to their jobs;
§ What is done is practical such as drawing up action plans or trialing techniques or procedures.

Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire 7

DIVERGERS (Concrete experiencer/Reflective observer) take experiences and think deeply about
them. They diverge from a single experience to multiple possibilities. When they learn they will ask
'why', and will start from detail to logically work up to the big picture. They like working with others
but like things to remain calm – they will be distressed by conflicts in the group. They like to receive
constructive feedback.

CONVERGERS (Abstract conceptualization/Active experimenter) think about things and then try
out their ideas to see if they work in practice. When they learn they will ask 'how', and will want to
learn by understanding how things work in practice. They like facts and will seek to make things
efficient by making small and careful changes. They prefer to work alone or independently.

ACCOMODATORS (Concrete experiencer/Active experimenter) have the most hands-on

approach, with a strong preference for doing rather than thinking. When they lean they will ask
'what if?' and 'why not?' to support their action-first approach. They do not like routine and will take
creative risks to see what happens. They learn better by themselves than with others.

ASSIMILATORS (Abstract conceptualiser/Reflective observer) have the most cognitive approach,

preferring to think than to act. When they learn they will ask 'What is there I can know?' and like
organised and structured understanding. Lectures are their preference, with demonstrations where
possible, and will respect the knowledge of experts. People with this style will have a strong control
need. They learn best with lectures that start from high-level concepts and work down to the detail.

Extra detail sourced from http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm

Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire 8