The VARK Learning Styles: Definition and Types

Key Takeaways

• VARK learning styles help you understand how you might prefer to learn.
• The most common learning style is multimodal, with people using a mix of styles.

Do you ever feel like you struggle to learn things one way but have an easier time if you try a different approach? Like, you’ve listened to lectures and read the textbook, but things only start to make sense once you get some actual, hands-on experience. According to some experts, using your preferred learning style is the key.

Not everyone’s brain is wired the same, and that’s why some people may find different strategies work better for them. The idea behind VARK learning styles is that there are four main types of learners: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic.

The idea that students learn best when teaching methods and school activities match their learning styles, strengths, and preferences grew in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. However, there isn’t much research supporting the use of such styles. Most evidence indicates that personal learning preferences have little to no influence on learning outcomes.

VARK Learning Styles

There are many different ways of categorizing learning styles, but Neil Fleming’s VARK model is one of the most popular. Fleming introduced an inventory in 1987 that was designed to help students and others learn more about their individual learning preferences.

What are the four VARK learning styles?

The four VARK learning styles are visual learners, aural learners, reading and writing learners, and kinesthetic learners.

According to the VARK model, learners are identified by whether they have a preference for:

• Visual learning (pictures, movies, diagrams)
• Auditory learning (music, discussion, lectures)
• Reading and writing (making lists, reading textbooks, taking notes)
• Kinesthetic learning (movement, experiments, hands-on activities)

The VARK model refers to the four sensory modalities that describe different learning preferences. The model suggests that these modalities reflect how students learn best.

Knowing your preferred style can give you some insight into the learning strategies that might appeal most to you, but that doesn’t mean that learning that way is actually superior to learning things in other ways.

What Type of Learner Are You?

In order to identify which type of learner people are, Fleming developed a self-report inventory that posed a series of situations. Respondents select the answers that best match their preferred approach to learning.

Example

Imagine that you are learning how to perform a new physical skill such as riding a bike or dancing a certain style of dance. In which way would you learn this skill the best?

1. Look at pictures of people performing the skill. (Visual)
2. Listen to an expert explain how to do the task. (Auditory)
3. Read about how to perform the task in a book. (Reading/Writing)
4. Watch someone else perform the skill and then trying it yourself. (Kinesthetic)

Visual Learners

Visual learners learn best by seeing. That means that graphic displays such as charts, diagrams, illustrations, handouts, and videos appeal to people with a visual learning style.

Visual learners prefer this type of learning would rather see information presented in a visual rather than in written form.

Do you think you might be a visual learner? Then consider the following questions:

• Are art, beauty, and aesthetics important to you?
• Does visualizing information in your mind help you remember it better?
• Do you have to see information in order to remember it?
• Do you pay close attention to body language?

If you can answer yes to most of these questions, chances are good that you have a visual learning style. You may find it helpful to incorporate things like pictures and graphs when you are learning new information.

Aural Learners

Aural (aka auditory) learners learn best by hearing information. They enjoy listening to lectures and are good at remembering things they are told.

Are you an auditory learner? Consider the following questions:

• Do you create songs to help remember information?
• Does reading out loud help you remember information better?
• Do you prefer to listen to class lectures rather than reading from the textbook?
• Would you prefer to listen to a recording of your class lectures or a podcast rather than going over your class notes?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you are probably an auditory learner. You might find things like audiobooks and podcasts helpful for learning new things.

Reading and Writing Learners

Reading and writing learners prefer to take in information that is displayed as words and text. Could you be a reading and writing learner? Read through the following questions and think about whether they might apply to you.

• Do you enjoy making lists, reading definitions, and creating presentations?
• Do you find reading your textbook to be a great way to learn new information?
• Do you take a lot of notes during class and while reading textbooks?
• Do you prefer it when teachers make use of overheads and handouts?

If you answered yes to these questions, you likely have a strong preference for reading and writing as your learning style.

You might find it helpful to write down information in order to help you learn and remember it.

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic (or tactile) learners learn best by touching and doing. Hands-on experience is important for kinesthetic learners.

Not sure if you’re a kinesthetic learner? Answer these questions to find out:

• Are you good at applied activities such as painting, cooking, mechanics, sports, and woodworking?
• Do you enjoy performing tasks that involve directly manipulating objects and materials?
• Do you have to actually practice doing something in order to learn it?
• Is it difficult for you to sit still for long periods of time?

If you responded yes to these questions, then you are most likely a kinesthetic learner. Taking classes that give you practical, hands-on experience may be helpful when you want to acquire a new skill.

What’s the most common VARK learning style?

According to some data, the most common is a multimodal learning style referred to as VARK Type Two, which involves exhibiting a range of learning preferences. People with this learning style tend to collect information more slowly and take time to make decisions.

In terms of single preferences, kinesthetic is by far the most common, accounting for 22.8% of respondents.

Criticisms of the VARK Learning Styles

The validity of the VARK model as well as other learning style theories has been questioned and criticized extensively. While the idea behind the VARK model is that knowing your style can make learning easier and more effective, some critics have suggested that labeling students as having one specific learning style can hinder learning.

Research on learning style models suggests that the instruments designed to assess individual learning styles are questionable. Another study found no connection between learning styles and academic achievement.

The VARK model remains fairly popular among both students and educators despite these criticisms. Students may feel drawn to a particular learning style. Others may find that their learning preferences lie somewhere in the middle, such as finding both visual and auditory learning equally appealing.

Why It Matters

Some people might find that understanding their own learning preferences can be helpful for various reasons. If you know that visual learning appeals to you most, using visual study strategies in conjunction with other learning methods might help you find studying more enjoyable or motivating.

If no single learning preference calls out to you or you change preferences based on the situation or the type of information you are learning, you probably have what is known as a multimodal style.

For example, you might rely on your reading and writing preferences when you are dealing with a class that requires a great deal of book reading and note-taking, such as a history of psychology course. During an art class, you might depend more on your visual and kinesthetic preferences as you take in pictorial information and learn new techniques.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Prithishkumar IJ, Michael SA. Understanding your student: using the VARK model. J Postgrad Med. 2014;60(2):183-186. doi:10.4103/0022-3859.132337

2. VARK Learn Limited. VARK research – what do we know about VARK?

3. Kirschner PA. Stop propagating the learning styles myth. Computers & Education. 2017;106:166-171. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2016.12.006

4. Mozaffari HR, Janatolmakan M, Sharifi R, Ghandinejad F, Andayeshgar B, Khatony A. The relationship between the VARK learning styles and academic achievement in dental students. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2020;11:15-19. doi:10.2147/AMEP.S235002

5. Ward N, Paul E, Watson P, et al. Enhanced learning through multimodal training: Evidence from a comprehensive cognitive, physical fitness, and neuroscience intervention. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):5808. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-06237-5

Additional Reading

• Fleming N. Introduction to Vark.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.”

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?

Helpful

Report an Error

Other