Honey and Mumford: Learning Styles Questionnaire

There is no time limit to this questionnaire. It will probably take you 10-15 minutes. The accuracy of the results depends on
how honest you can be. There are no right or wrong answers. If you agree more than you disagree with a
statement put a tick. If you disagree more than you agree put a cross by it. Be sure to mark each item with either a
tick or cross. When you have completed the questionnaire, continue this task by responding to the points that follow.

1. I have strong beliefs about what is right and wrong, good and bad.
2. I often act without considering the possible consequences.
3. I tend to solve problems using a step-by-step approach.
4. I believe that formal procedures and policies restrict people.
5. I have a reputation for saying what I think, simply and directly.
6. I often find that actions based on feelings are as sound as those based on careful thought
and analysis.
7. I like the sort of work where I have time for thorough preparation and implementation.
8. I regularly question people about their basic assumptions.
9. What matters most is whether something works in practice.
10. I actively seek out new experiences.
11. When I hear about a new idea or approach I immediately start working out how to apply it
in practice.
12. I am keen on self-discipline such as watching my diet, taking regular exercise, sticking to a
fixed routine etc.
13. I take pride in doing a thorough job.
14. I get on best with logical, analytical people and less well with spontaneous, "irrational"
people.
15. I take care over the interpretation of data available to me and avoid jumping to conclusions.
16. I like to reach a decision carefully after weighing up many alternatives.
17. I'm attracted more to novel, unusual ideas than to practical ones.
18. I don't like disorganised things and prefer to fit things into a coherent pattern.
19. I accept and stick to laid down procedures and policies so long as I regard them as an
efficient way of getting the job done.
20. I like to relate my actions to a general principle.
21. In discussions I like to get straight to the point.
22. I tend to have distant, rather formal relationships with people at work.
23. I thrive on the challenge of tackling something new and different.
24. I enjoy fun-loving, spontaneous people.
25. I pay meticulous attention to detail before coming to a conclusion.
26. I find it difficult to produce ideas on impulse.
27. I believe in coming to the point immediately.
28. I am careful not to jump to conclusions too quickly.
29. I prefer to have as many sources of information as possible -the more data to mull over the
better.
30. Flippant people who don't take things seriously enough usually irritate me.

31. I listen to other people's point of view before putting my own forward.

32. I tend to be open about how I'm feeling.

33. In discussions I enjoy watching the manoeuvrings of the other participants.

34. I prefer to respond to events on a spontaneous, flexible basis rather than plan things out in
advance.
35. I tend to be attracted to techniques such as network analysis, flow charts, branching
programmes, contingency planning, etc.
36. It worries me if I have to rush out a piece of work to meet a tight deadline.

37. I tend to judge people's ideas on their practical merits.

38. Quiet, thoughtful people tend to make me feel uneasy.

39. I often get irritated by people who want to rush things.

40. It is more important to enjoy the present moment than to think about the past or future.

41. I think that decisions based on a thorough analysis of all the information are sounder than
those based on intuition.
42. I tend to be a perfectionist.

43. In discussions I usually produce lots of spontaneous ideas.

44. In meetings I put forward practical realistic ideas.

45. More often than not, rules are there to be broken.

46. I prefer to stand back from a situation and consider all the perspectives.

47. I can often see inconsistencies and weaknesses in other people's arguments.

48. On balance I talk more than I listen.

49. I can often see better, more practical ways to get things done.

50. I think written reports should be short and to the point.

51. I believe that rational, logical thinking should win the day.

52. I tend to discuss specific things with people rather than engaging in social discussion.

53. I like people who approach things realistically rather than theoretically.

54. In discussions I get impatient with irrelevancies and digressions.

55. If I have a report to write I tend to produce lots of drafts before settling on the final version.

56. I am keen to try things out to see if they work in practice.

57. I am keen to reach answers via a logical approach.

58. I enjoy being the one that talks a lot.

59. In discussions I often find I am the realist, keeping people to the point and avoiding wild
speculations.
60. I like to ponder many alternatives before making up my mind.

61. In discussions with people I often find I am the most dispassionate and objective.

62. In discussions I'm more likely to adopt a "low profile" than to take the lead and do most of the
talking.
63. I like to be able to relate current actions to a longer-term bigger picture.

64. When things go wrong I am happy to shrug it off and "put it down to experience".

65. I tend to reject wild, spontaneous ideas as being impractical.

66. It's best to think carefully before taking action.

67. On balance I do the listening rather than the talking.

68. I tend to be tough on people who find it difficult to adopt a logical approach.

69. Most times I believe the end justifies the means.

70. I don't mind hurting people's feelings so long as the job gets done.

71. I find the formality of having specific objectives and plans stifling.

72. I'm usually one of the people who puts life into a party.

73. I do whatever is expedient to get the job done.

74. I quickly get bored with methodical, detailed work.

75. I am keen on exploring the basic assumptions, principles and theories underpinning things and
events.
76. I'm always interested to find out what people think.

77. I like meetings to be run on methodical lines, sticking to laid down agenda, etc.

78. I steer clear of subjective or ambiguous topics.

79. I enjoy the drama and excitement of a crisis situation.

80. People often find me insensitive to their feelings.

Scoring
You score one point for each item you ticked.
There are no points for crossed items. Circle the questions you ticked on the list below:

2 7 1 5
4 13 3 9
6 15 8 11
10 16 12 19
17 25 14 21
23 28 18 27
24 29 20 35
32 31 22 37
34 33 26 44
38 36 30 49
40 39 42 50
43 41 47 53
45 46 51 54
48 52 57 56
58 55 61 59
64 60 63 65
71 62 68 69
72 66 75 70
74 67 77 73
79 76 78 80

Totals
Activist Reflector Theorist Pragmatist

The category with the highest score represents your preferred learning style. It may be useful to bear this in mind as you
approach tasks. Was the approach you adopted the best one in the circumstances? Would adopting another learning style
have improved you performance?
Understanding the result of your
Learning Styles Questionnaire

We assume that you have already completed the questionnaire and scored it. If so, you will have four scores, ranging
from 0-20, for activist, reflector, theorist and pragmatist. The question now is, what do these four scores tell you?

Since the maximum score for each style is 20, at first sight you might conclude that the highest of your scores indicates your
predominant learning style. This, however, is not necessarily so. Before drawing a conclusion, you need to view your scores
in relation to those obtained by other people who have completed the questionnaire. Norms, as they are called, have
been calculated from various groups of people and you need to decide which group to compare your scores. To do this
use the general norms below which are based on the scores obtained by well over a thousand people. The norms are
calculated on the scores obtained by:

A. The highest scoring 10% of people

B. The next 20% of people
C. The middle 40% of people
D. The next 20% of people
E. The lowest scoring 10% of people

The general norms are as follows:

Very Strong Strong Moderate Low Very Low

Preference Preference Preference Preference Preference

Activist 13 – 20 11 – 12 7 –10 4–6 0–3

Reflector 18 – 20 15 – 17 12 – 14 9 – 11 0–8

Theorist 16 – 20 14 –1 5 11 – 13 9 – 11 0–8

Pragmatist 17 – 20 15 – 16 12 –14 9 – 11 0-8

Characteristics of the Four Learning Styles

If you are an Activist - you will probably want to get involved in a project or specific assignment to develop the skills on the
job. Tackling very practical open and flexible learning programmes; or activity-based training courses will be most suitable
for you.

“Activists involve themselves fully and without bias in new experiences. They enjoy the here and now, and are happy to be
dominated by immediate experiences. They are open-minded, not sceptical, and this tends to make them enthusiastic
about anything new. Their philosophy is: "I’ll try anything once". They tend to act first and consider the consequences
afterwards. Their days are filled with activity. They tackle problems by brainstorming.

As soon as the excitement from one activity has died down they are busy looking for the next. They tend to thrive on the
challenge of new experiences but are bored with implementation and longer term consolidation. They are gregarious
people constantly involving themselves with others but, in doing so, they seek to centre all activities around themselves.”

If you are a Reflector - you will appreciate working closely with someone experienced in this area, and learning through
observation and discussing your reflections and plans with a mentor. You will also learn much from books, articles and case
studies.

“Reflectors like to stand back to ponder experiences and observe them from many different perspectives. They collect data,
both first hand and from others, and prefer to think about it thoroughly before coming to a conclusion. The thorough
collection and analysis of data about experiences and events is what counts so they tend to postpone reaching definitive
conclusions for as long as possible. Their philosophy is to be cautious.

They are thoughtful people who like to consider all possible angles and implications before making a move. They prefer to
take a back seat in meetings and discussions. They enjoy observing other people in action. They listen to others and get the
drift of the discussion before making their own points. They tend to adopt a low profile and have a slightly distant, tolerant
unruffled air about them. When they act it is part of a wide picture which includes the past as well as the present and
others’ observations as well as their own.”

If you are a Theorist - you will most value theory-based courses with well-qualified and experienced trainers, well-written
books and articles.

Theorists adapt and integrate observations into complex but logically sound theories. They think problems through in a
vertical, step-by-step logical way. They assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories. They tend to be perfectionists who
won’t rest easy until things are tidy and fit into a rational scheme. They like to analyse and synthesize. They are keen on
basic assumptions, principles, theories models and systems thinking. Their philosophy prizes rationality and logic.

Questions they frequently ask are:

"Does it make sense?"

"How does this fit with that?"
"What are the basic assumptions?"
They tend to be detached, analytical and dedicated to rational objectivity rather than anything subjective or ambiguous.
Their approach to problems is consistently logical. This is their ‘mental set’ and they rigidly reject anything that doesn’t fit
with it. They prefer to maximise certainty and feel uncomfortable with subjective judgements, lateral thinking and anything
flippant.

If you are a Pragmatist - you will find that succinct, practical books and open and flexible learning are good ways of quickly
putting new learning to practical use. You will be particularly attracted to working on real-life projects and appreciate the
help of someone who can give you some valuable feedback and coaching.

Pragmatists are keen on trying out ideas, theories and techniques to see if they work in practice. They positively search out
new ideas and take the first opportunity to experiment with applications. They are the sort of people who return from
courses brimming with new ideas that they want to try out in practice. They like to get on with things and act quickly and
confidently on ideas that attract them. They tend to be impatient with ruminating and open-ended discussions.
They are essentially practical, down to earth people who like making practical decisions and solving problems. They
respond to problems and opportunities ‘as a challenge’. Their philosophy is "There is always a better way" and "If it works
it's good".

Honey & Mumford 1986 Definition