The following list of research topics is not comprehensive but is intended to suggest the type of questions that would suit researchers.
Does one group know their preferences better than another group?
(Comparison)
Research Design: Control group and a group who are taught about VARK. Question the groups about the strategies they currently use.
Do respondents’ VARK scores reflect what they thought their preferences were beforehand?
(Pre- and post-comparisons)
Research Design: Find the respondents’ perceptions of their VARK scores pre- and post-testing with one of the VARK questionnaires.
Do teachers use strategies aligned with their VARK learning preferences?
(Comparison)
Research Design: Teachers self-report on what teaching strategies they prefer to use. Compare these with the Helpsheet strategies suggested by their scores on the standard VARK Questionnaire.
Do learners use the strategies associated with their VARK preferences?
(Pre- and post-learning about VARK)
Research Design: Find out if they used the strategies before (and after they knew about VARK).
Do learners who use the VARK strategies aligned with their preference(s) report significantly improved learning?
(Improved learning)
Research Design: Self-report on learning between control and VARK groups.
What are the learning preferences of the learners on distance education courses who succeed? What are the learning preferences of the learners on distance education courses who drop-out?
(Distance education success and drop-out rates)
Research Design: Give distance learners a VARK test. Analyze those who drop out/succeed.
Are there any links between learners’ careers and their VARK preferences?
(Career choices)
Research Design: Analyze learner career choices for VARK biases and compare these with their VARK scores.
Are there any links between learners’ subject choices (majors) and their VARK preferences?
(Subject/major choices)
Research Design: Analyze learner subject/major choices for VARK biases and compare these with their VARK scores.
Are there any links between learners’ choices of assessment methods and their VARK preferences?
(Assessment, Testing, Grading)
Research Design: Gather learner preferences for assessment methods and test for any link to their VARK preferences.
What can teachers do to maximize the benefits of using VARK for students?
(Use of VARK)
Research Design: Introduce VARK to various groups of students, providing different information and follow up for each group. Later find out from the students how useful they found VARK (self-report), and look for correlations between how VARK was presented and how useful it was found to be.
Is VARK more useful for people with certain VARK learning preferences?
(Use of VARK)
Research Design: Find out what learning preference people have and how useful people have found VARK (self report), and look for correlations between the two.
