Comparing the Performance of Different Learning Styles from the Experience of Precedents in Architectural Design Education

Architectural design education depends on the learners and their individual characteristics to get better results in the design studio. One of these characteristics is Learning Style, which expresses learning preferences and differences between people in learning methods.One of the common educational activities in the process of architectural design is referring to the precedents and in general concrete experiences as a strategy to increase the practical ability of students. Despite the documented research about the precedents and methods of using the knowledge of architectural precedents as a common activity in the design process, in the body of this educational method, we come across fewer similarities that the learning method of the learner given a deserved place; Prescriptive teaching methods are presented and followed for familiar learners with the same characteristics.Learners do not act in the same way in dealing with the factors to be learned; Rather, they have different approaches to understanding and processing information. They have different potentials for learning and learn differently in different situations and under various factors; It is not possible to use this shared educational method without knowing the architecture learner and paying attention to their individual differences in the role of the learner and presenting and following up typical educational programs for audiences of the same level with the same characteristics in a coordinated manner. Such a lack causes the education of students to be exposed to the promotion of inefficient teaching methods, originating from theories that consider students to be the only recipients of knowledge, based on Teacher-Centered Education. Therefore, this research focuses on the division of one of the Learning Style Theories belonging to David Kolb in one of these educational methods and explains the different experiences of learning styles using the knowledge of architectural precedents.The research was conducted with a Quasi-Experimental Method (Pre-test-Post-test with a Control group) by conducting standard tests (Functional test and Kolb's Learning Styles Questionnaire) from the students of the Architectural Design Course 3 of Tehran West Azad University. The results, it is descriptive-analytical; in the data analysis, the Chi-square test and analysis Variance are used in SPSS software.The findings show a significant difference between different learning styles in the methodical use of precedents. Different learning styles have a different experience of the pattern of taking knowledge from precedents. The diverging style is more successful in using the knowledge of precedents and contexts using the pattern of perception, while it has the lowest distribution among learning styles. Therefore, diverging learning styles, assimilating, accommodating, and converging are used the most, respectively.According to the above results,it is appropriate that the educational methods by strengthening the objective experiences of the learner by browsing the architectural works, in order to strengthen the divergent style, should match the learning preferences of the students.It is suggested that the traditional Teaching methods of architecture should be reviewed and revised by considering the learning style of the learner to match the learning preferences of the students.