Abstract:
This article reports a research project in which the thinking preferences of a group of
students enrolled for a module on information literacy at the University of Pretoria were
determined. Annually about 7 000 first-year students enrol for this module. The main aim
of the research project was to determine to what extent the traditional approach to offering
the module could be changed with a view to accommodating students with differing
thinking preferences and enhancing the quality of learning. To get a holistic perspective
on learning the theory on whole brain learning and the application of Herrmann’s whole
brain learning inventory were applied and investigated.
The research forms part of an overarching interdisciplinary research project that focuses
on facilitating whole brain information literacy. Since the focus is on investigating a
specific practice, action research is used as scholarly process for professional
development. The action research approach includes mixed methods. This mix allows for
merging quantitative and qualitative studies.
The first phase of the project consisted of a baseline study. It entailed a quantitative
approach to determining the students’ learning style profiles by means of the Herrmann
Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) – used as a diagnostic assessment tool. The outcome
of this diagnostic assessment forms part of the baseline data for the envisaged longitudinal
study.
