Learning styles: the myth, the evidence, and what to measure instead
The idea that you learn better when teaching matches your "learning style" (visual, auditory and so on) is not supported by good evidence.
The evidence
Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer & Bjork (2008), Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence, Psychological Science in the Public Interest 9, 105–119 set out what a study would need to show: people classified by style, taught in different ways, with the style-matched group doing better. They found very few studies designed that way, and those that were contradicted the idea.
People do have preferences, and some content suits some formats (a map is visual whoever you are). But tailoring to a style label doesn't improve learning.
What to measure instead
- Retention after a delay: what you still know a week or a month later.
- Calibration: how well your confidence predicts whether you're right.
- What works for you, tested: try two approaches on similar material and compare delayed results.