Stress. The perception of a stimulus in the form of an event or condition and requires an
individual to adjust from normal life. Stressors can be positive or negative depending on
the individual's reaction to the experience (Gadzella, 1994; Romano, 1992). Stress was
operationalized with use of the Student-life Stress Inventory (SSI) with constructs of
frustrations, conflicts, pressures, changes and self-imposed stress.


 Summary

 In summary, learning styles theory has become popular as pragmatic educators

can easily see its existence in the classroom. However, many learning style instruments

have proven to be unreliable and invalid. There is little empirical evidence that dissimilar

learning styles contribute to understanding stress, motivation, and engagement; these are

common variables found in the undergraduate classroom. Kirton's theory of A-I provides

a framework to distinguish cognitive style from cognitive level to help understand the

influences of the aforementioned variables. As faculty members become more

accountable for student engagement and look for instructional methods to promote

learning, evidence is needed to determine the importance of learning styles in student

engagement. Kirton's definition of cognitive style and psychometrically sound instrument

to measure cognitive style may be of particular use.