Feedback and Student Learning: Matching Learning and Teaching Style to Improve Student Pilot Performance

Objective: The present research investigated the relationship and the efficacy of two different modalities in which feedback is provided, namely “visual” and “auditory” on student pilot learning.
Background: Pilot training has remained relatively unchanged for over thirty years. The syllabi for flight training contains little information about specific educational techniques or instructions that may assist the flight instructor in his/her role. Matching the learning style of the student, to that of the teaching style of the educator/instructor has the potential to improve learning outcomes.
Method: Eighteen trainee pilots were divided into either visual or auditory learners based on the VARK learning styles model and asked to complete three test flights involving a left-hand circuit using a flight simulator. After each flight, pilots received feedback (control – no feedback, visual, auditory) about a different aspect of their flight performance (actual compared to target).
Results: The results revealed when the modality in which the feedback was provided matched the preferred learning style of the pilot, improvements in performance resulted. When there was a mismatch between the two, adverse effects were evident for auditory learners only.
Conclusion: From a theoretical perspective, the results provide clear evidence of the link between learning and teaching styles. From an applied perspective, these results highlight the potential benefits of aligning teaching and learning styles in flight training.