Performance in the Capstone Business Course: What is the Effect of Pedagogy, Learning Styles, and Student Motivation?

Abstract

This paper assesses the effect of two individual characteristics on student performance--learning styles and student motivation--in an undergraduate capstone course. We propose that the course design which involves individual and group case analysis as well as a complex business simulation will dampen the effects of these individual characteristics on student performance. It is further posited each learning style leads to different levels of motivation, which in turn impact performance. Results indicate that learning styles impact performance only in the case of assimilators and convergers with respect to motivation.