Identifying learning styles and develop learning skills of the students in Thailand and Spain

[eng] Learning skills and styles are a global innovation that brings the concept of deep learning to life, as envisioned by educational reform experts. This thesis aims to explore how learning styles and skills vary across different cultures and contexts to enhance students' learning abilities. The study involved a convenience sample of final-year secondary or high school students from Spain and Thailand. A mix of quantitative methods, such as questionnaires and multiple-choice questions, and qualitative tools, like focus groups and content analysis, were used. The findings revealed that students from Asian and European cultures had distinct learning styles, but similar learning skills despite their different backgrounds. Asian students, particularly, demonstrated strong 21st-century learning skills through group learning. It was also found that various 21st-century learning skills are interconnected. Moreover, students practicing citizenship and naturalism showed awareness of environmental problems, actively speaking out and taking steps to address them. Their attitudes reflected concern for human-environment interactions, and their behaviour indicated efforts to reduce harmful environmental waste. Practicing problem-solving was shown to strengthen critical thinking, as it requires careful thought, evaluation of options, and informed decision-making. Most students demonstrated a clear understanding of the challenges they faced. The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted education. While face-to-face students scored higher in critical thinking, online students excelled in analysing and evaluating information, according to Bloom's revised taxonomy. The results highlighted that culture influences learning styles but not learning skills, and that teachers play a crucial role in developing students' learning abilities. This shows that educational practices significantly shape academic progress and students’ potential to become effective environmental citizens. Additionally, the RCA problem-solving technique helped foster critical thinking skills, enabling students to effectively identify key data as causes of problems. Overall, educational approaches during the COVID-19 outbreak had a noticeable effect on students' critical thinking skills.