The Difference Between Preference and Proof
Statements that are easily believable are believed to be true. We say younger generations grew up with technology, so they must be better at utilizing it. Some say that they learn better a certain way, so why don’t we teach them in that way? These ideas sound reasonable, but after watching David White’s Visitors and Residents and Veritasium’s The Biggest Myth in Education, I realized that what sounds logical is not always supported by evidence.
The idea of digital natives and digital immigrants assumes that the generation you belong to determines how well you use technology. However, being comfortable scrolling through social media does not necessarily mean someone knows how to evaluate online information or use technology for academic purposes. A 2013 study, Identifying latent classes and testing their determinants in early adolescents’ use of computers and Internet for learning, found that students considered digital natives were not necessarily familiar with educational technologies and still needed guidance to use them effectively. This challenges the assumption that growing up around technology automatically makes someone digitally skilled.
White’s visitors and residents framework offers a more useful perspective. Instead of categorizing people by age, it considers how people engage with technology depending on their purpose and circumstances. Someone might use social media every day but only visit a learning management system when required for class. Technology use is not one-size-fits-all, and neither is digital competence.
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Learning styles present a similar problem. I think it is easy to believe that identifying ourselves as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners will help us study more effectively. However, there is a difference between preferring a particular learning method and actually learning better through it.
Interestingly, research published in 2024 by Clinton-Lisell and Litzinger examined 21 studies involving 1,712 participants to investigate whether matching instruction to learning styles improves outcomes. Although they found a small overall benefit, the results were inconsistent, and the researchers concluded that the evidence was insufficient to justify widespread use of learning style matching (read the open-access study). This suggests that using multiple ways to engage with information may be more helpful than limiting ourselves to one category.
As a nursing student, I can see why this matters. Learning nursing requires more than reading notes or watching videos. I need to understand concepts, remember important information, recognize patterns, and apply what I know to patient situations. Watching a demonstration might help me understand a procedure, but I also need to practice applying that knowledge. Different approaches serve different purposes.
So why do these ideas continue to feel convincing? I think simple explanations are appealing because they give us a sense of control. If I know my learning style, I might believe I have found the key to studying. If I assume younger people are naturally good with technology, I do not have to consider the differences in their experiences or access to resources.
Ultimately, neither age nor a preferred learning style tells the whole story. Our experiences, opportunities, motivation, and the task itself all influence how we learn. Rather than putting ourselves into categories, we should focus on what actually helps us understand, remember, and apply new information. Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is question an idea that seems obvious.
-Anonymous Mango ❤
