Latent Profiles of Learning Style Preferences According to Educational Modality and Demographic Factors in Higher Education

This study aimed to: (a) analyze university students' learning style preferences based on sociodemographic variables (sex, age, and educational modality), and (b) identify latent profiles of learning styles.The Index of Learning Styles (ILS), adapted to Spanish, was administered to a sample of university students enrolled in both face-to-face and synchronous online programs. Four main hypotheses were formulated, including the influence of sociodemographic variables on learning styles and the possibility of identifying latent profiles using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) and classification techniques (CART). The results show that students preferred the Sensing, Visual, and Sequential learning styles. Educational modality did not present significant differences in learning style preferences, although variations were observed in the Processing dimension, with a higher preference for the Active style among face-to-face students. Sex and age influenced only the Understanding dimension. Six well-defined latent profiles were identified; however, these profiles were not significantly associated with sociodemographic variables. The CART classification model showed poor performance, highlighting the limited predictive power of these variables. The main conclusion is that learning style preferences reflect individual cognitive patterns rather than external sociodemographic characteristics. The latent profiles offer a more personalized and effective pedagogical approach, contributing to improved equity and quality in higher education. This study underscores the importance of incorporating motivational and metacognitive variables in future research and educational interventions.