Taxonomy of Learning Skills

Abstract
Questions concerning individual differences in learning ability may be more precisely addressed in light of an agreed-upon taxonomy of learning skills. In this paper we review a variety of attempts to propose learning taxonomies and point out some of their limitations. We then propose a taxonomy consisting of four dimensions: learning environment (or learning process), resulting knowledge type, domain, and learning style. The first three dimensions specify a learning task, and the fourth is a modifiable learner characteristic. We apply the taxonomy to the analysis of three computerized instructional systems in an attempt to answer the question of: what learning skills the systems currently exercise, what skills the systems test, and what other skills might fruitfully be tested. We conclude with a discussion of how the taxonomy might be used to guide research that attempts to validate new aptitude tests against performance in complex learning situations.

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