The Kolb Learning Style Inventory version 4.0 (KLSI 4.0) revised in 2011, is the latest revision of the original Learning Style Inventory developed by David A. Kolb. Like its predecessors, the KLSI 4.0 is based on experiential learning theory (Kolb 1984) and is designed to help individuals identify the way they learn from experience. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory 4.0 is the first major revision of the KLSI since 1999 and the third since the original LSI was published in 1971. Based on many years of research involving scholars around the world and data from many thousands of respondents, the KLSI 4.0 includes four major additions– A new nine learning style typology, assessment of learning flexibility, an expanded personal report focused on improving learning effectiveness, and improved psychometrics. The technical specifications are designed to adhere to the standards for educational and psychological testing developed by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education (1999).

The first chapter describes the conceptual foundations of the LSI in the theory of experiential learning (ELT). Chapter 2 provides a description of the inventory that includes its purpose, history, and format. Chapter 3 describes the characteristics of the KLSI 4.0 normative sample. Chapter 4 includes internal reliability and test-retest reliability studies of the inventory. Chapter 5 provides information about research on the internal and external validity for the instrument. Internal validity studies of the structure of the KLSI 4.0. using correlation and factor analysis are reported. External validity includes research on demographics, educational specialization, concurrent validity with other experiential learning assessment instruments, aptitude test performance, academic performance and experiential learning in teams. Chapter 6 describes the new Learning Flexibility Index including scoring formulas, normative data and validity evidence. In chapter 7 the current research on educational applications of ELT and the KLSI in many fields is reviewed.