This myth is becoming increasingly prevalent. Some teaching certifications include courses specifically centered on these learning styles, which leads to more and more individuals believing in it. This is especially true for teachers of younger students. Educators are continuing to squander their efforts and students are less likely to step out of their comfort zone to use different study methods.

To address this issue, instructors should shift their focus to utilizing different learning styles for different learning goals. For example providing a wide range of educational experiences such as interactive exercises, group discussions and written assignments while actually communicating their different purposes. Additionally (particularly for younger students), incentivizing students to use learning strategies that they’re less inclined towards. Instead of focusing on initial preferences, the emphasis should be on engagement. Finally, one key driving force that perpetuates these types of myths is the desire for categorization. People enjoy organizing themselves into different groups (for example the MBTI test). While these groups may be helpful for analyzing yourself, it can also lead to over generalization and conformity. Students should be shown that they don’t belong in specific groups because they are constantly changing and growing.