Big 5 Openness Vs. Closedness to Experience Learning Styles: How to Choose the Best Approach to Learning for Your Personality

Finding the perfect learning style to guarantee academic success can often be daunting. However, learning is not limited to academic areas alone. A saying goes, “The classroom is not a place, it is an attitude.” Wherever you find yourself, you stand a good chance of learning from your experience.

Since experience is the best teacher, it stands to reason that openness and closedness traits would significantly impact the things you learn and how well you learn them. Sometimes, the learning style you think you love might be different from where you're most effective, especially if it is incompatible with your personality.

This article examines the Big 5 openness and closedness traits and their relationship with two of the most popular learning style models. By the end, you’ll be better able to determine the best learning style based on how you score in openness and closedness to experience traits.

Let’s dive in.

Openness Vs. Closedness to Experience: Approach to Learning

The "Openness to Experience" trait in the Big Five personality model captures a person's inclination toward novelty, creativity, and intellectual curiosity. When considering matching it with a “spirit animal” in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator context, one might consider creatures that embody exploration, adaptability, and a sense of wonder. How about the fox?

Foxes are known for their cunning intelligence, adaptability to various environments, and their playful, curious nature. They symbolize the exploration of new territories and the ability to navigate through different situations with creativity and insight.

Like the fox, people with the openness trait tend to enjoy the educational process because they create novel experiences by pursuing new adventures. Open people usually develop broad interests in various topics, people, places, etc. Because they welcome ideas from everyone, they are in a great position to learn many things.

In contrast, people with the closedness trait are more selective about what they learn, often considering factors like the personality of the person presenting the information and whether that information contradicts widely held beliefs. In the animal world, the slow-paced and laid-back lifestyle of the sloth or the turtle’s cautious and slow approach to the world would be good ways to symbolize high levels of closedness to new experiences.

The learning style theory gained popularity in the 1970s as expert psychologists and scientists proposed that each learner has a preferred learning style they use to approach learning. Focusing on their preferred learning style gives people a far better chance of becoming successful learners.

Several learning style theories and models have emerged since then, but for this article, we will focus on two of the most popular ones — the VARK model and the Felder-Silverman learning style dimension — and how they relate to openness and closedness traits.

Relationship between VARK Learning Style and the Openness vs. Closedness Trait

In 1987, Neil Fleming introduced the VARK learning style model to help learners understand their learning preferences and guide teachers toward implementing the preferred learning style. The VARK model consists of four learning styles: Visual learning, Auditory learning, Reading and writing, and Kinesthetic learning.

Visual Learning involves presenting information in the form of what the learners can see, like representing information using charts, graphs, maps, symbols, diagrams, etc. Auditory learning involves presenting information in the form of what the learners can hear. Auditory learners love holding group discussions where they can speak and listen to ideas.

Some learners learn best by reading information and writing them in their notes. If the topic is well explained in their textbook or notes, they can read and understand it just as easily as someone who heard it directly from a teacher.

Kinesthetic learners prefer a hands-on approach to learning where they practice what they are taught. Kinesthetic learning is beneficial when you need to learn physical activities like painting, driving, etc.

Many learners with more than one favorite adopt Multimodal learning, which combines two or more learning styles.

According to a paper by Moorman and Clark (2012), the openness to experience trait is directly linked to the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles. Another study by Afzaal et al. (2019) directly linked the openness to experience trait to visual and kinesthetic learning.

It makes sense that visual and kinesthetic learning styles are the most common for the openness trait. After all, what better way to experience something than the visual process of seeing it or the kinesthetic process of immersing yourself in the experience and participating in it?

Evaluating the Learning Style of Openness vs. Closedness to Experience Trait Using the Felder-Silverman Model

Like the VARK model, the Felder-Silverman model tries to help learners understand their preferred learning style to help them study effectively and help teachers structure content to student needs. According to the model, there are four learning styles, and we will examine them in relation to openness and closedness to experience traits.

Sensing and Intuitive Learning: How Open and Closed Individuals Take in New Information

Sensing learners, like people low on openness, deal with facts and data. They approach problem-solving by using tried and tested formulas. They are sticklers for procedures and are usually cautious in their approach to problem-solving. Sensing learning is the preferred learning style for people closed to experience. They share similar characteristics and equally love the status quo, finding it hard to cope with changes or surprises.

Intuitive learners prefer theories and concepts. They like applying creative and innovative ways to solve problems. They love coming across new information and abstract ideas, even if they have no solid facts to back them up. Intuitive learners, like open individuals, use a lot of their imagination. They dislike repetition and are quite adept at grasping new concepts.

Visual and Verbal Learning: How Open and Closed Individuals Prefer Information to Be Presented

As explained in the VARK model, visual learners process information faster when it is something they can see. In contrast, verbal learners prefer having their information in the form of what they can hear.

Individuals high on openness are comfortable with verbal and visual learning but are more likely to process visual information faster. Closed individuals usually prefer verbal learning.

Active and Reflective Learning: How Open and Closed Individuals Process New Information

Active learners learn by doing. When presented with information, they prefer applying it by practicing it or teaching it to others. They love being in classrooms and around classmates where they can discuss and exchange ideas.

Reflective learners process information by thinking about it. They work better alone and in a quiet place where they can reflect on what they were taught before sharing their opinions.

People high on openness will ultimately prefer active learning because it allows them to brainstorm ideas with other people in a group. People low on openness are more comfortable as reflective learners because it allows them to think about an idea and filter out the ones they are unwilling to accept. Reflective learning enables them to work alone or with a close colleague without pressure to receive new ideas from others.

Sequential and Global Learning: How Open and Closed Individuals Organize and Understand Information

Sequential learners learn best by understanding little pieces of information in sequence, advancing steadily in difficulty and complexity until they get to the bigger picture. Global learners employ a more holistic approach to learning. They must understand the big picture before absorbing the small information.

People low on openness are like sequential learners. They learn in a steady and predictable manner. On the other hand, open people favor global learning because it allows them to solve problems using creative methods rather than following the teacher’s orderly strategy.

Learning Style of the Openness to Experience Trait: Strengths and Weaknesses

The openness to experience trait is linked to several positive factors connected to learning and knowledge. Open people are typically creative, intellectually curious, innovative, and imaginative.

Due to their love for creating novel experiences, people who are open to experience usually find themselves in places where they can learn new things. They welcome differing opinions, which allows them to see things from different points of view. Although open people learn a lot by hearing about new experiences (auditory learning), they are more intrigued by what they can see (visual learning) and how they can participate in creating unique experiences (kinesthetic learning).

They usually adopt a deep learning style by immersing themselves in the learning experience, and they don't just skim through the surface. However, they may be unable to focus on any topic for a long time because they usually develop an interest in many subjects.

Open people are intuitive learners. They get bored by repetitive data and love using their imagination when absorbing new information. They enjoy using their creativity to think of new ways to solve complex problems. However, open people are so used to thinking outside the box that they sometimes overthink situations when a more straightforward approach is right in front of them.

Characteristics of Open Learners

• They are more interested in the information presented than the presenter.
• They love holding group discussions and brainstorming sessions.
• They apply creative means to solving problems.
• They understand complex ideas easily.
• They are adept at grasping new concepts.
• They may have difficulty understanding little concepts if they are not presented with the big picture.
• They love dealing with theories and abstract ideas.

Learning Style of the Closedness to Experience Trait: Strengths and Weaknesses

People closed to experience usually adopt the surface learning technique. This strategy requires them to learn only the basics because they want to avoid opening themselves up to new experiences. Their motive is to learn just enough not to fail the test. Often they are not interested in going deep enough into the topic to truly understand it.

Although they mainly adopt this approach, they are usually passionate about topics that align with their beliefs.

Closed people love working with proven data and facts. They exercise caution when solving problems and always use tried and tested methods and formulas to find solutions. They rarely let their imagination run wild or think outside the box. They learn slowly and predictably and do not care much for group discussions where they have to brainstorm ideas.

Characteristics of Closed Learners

• They tend to focus more on the personality of the person presenting the information than the content.
• They find it hard to accept new ideas, especially those contradicting popular beliefs.
• They dislike being in diverse groups and would rather be alone.
• They love using tried and tested methods to solve problems.
• They have no problem learning in bits, as the syllabus provides.

Openness Vs. Closedness to Experience: Who Is the Better Learner?

We came across a quote from the late American author Zig Ziglar, with which we couldn't help but agree. It says;

If you’re not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you’re willing to learn, no one can stop you.

Of all the Big 5 traits, openness to experience is the only one that directly describes people with the will to pursue new adventures, learn new things, and accept novel ideas. 

People with the openness trait are generally better learners. They love being around people from diverse backgrounds, and their intellectual curiosity and willingness to see things from other points of view make them better learners.

How Do I Improve Learning If I’m High on Openness?

• Sometimes, what you know is the correct opinion. Do not be in a rush to discard it in favor of every new idea or knowledge.
• Proven facts are often the correct ways to solve problems. Make sure you’ve exhausted them before introducing a novel approach to problem-solving.
• Patience is vital while learning. Exercise patience when information is provided to you in bits.
• Create personal time to reflect on ideas before processing the information.

How Do I Improve Learning If I’m Low on Openness?

• Judge the information presented to you based on its merit rather than the presenter's personality.
• Try out new experiences by speaking to people or traveling.
• Try to listen to differing opinions.
• It’s good to hold on to your beliefs but learn to accept other ideas when yours has been proven wrong.

Ultimately, your preferred learning style depends greatly on your personality. 

Openness to experience is one of many traits that impact how we learn and process information.

Want to learn more about yourself? Discover how the other Big 5 traits of  Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Agreeableness also play a role how you approach new learning experiences. 

Learn more about Openness vs Closedness:

• Careers and Work Preferences
• Relationship Style
• Communication and Leadership