How Software Architects Learn: A pilot study of their learning style in Kolb’s Learning Styles Inventory

Software architects play a crucial role in proposing system designs and technologies, providing guidelines for system construction and quality assessment, and facilitating communication among stakeholders. However, training software architects is known to be challenging, with no clear set of techniques available to effectively transfer and acquire the necessary knowledge, methods, and attitudes. This paper aims to address this issue by presenting an initial characterization of the learning styles of software architects using Kolb’s Learning Styles Inventory, a well-known assessment tool designed to provide a summary of an individual’s preferred learning style. To achieve this objective, we administered Kolb’s Learning Styles Test to seven mid-senior practitioners working as software architects. The analysis of the test results revealed that the primary learning mode of these software architects is a combination of Active Experimentation and Abstract Conceptualization, followed by Concrete Experience, and to a lesser extent, Reflective Observation. Understanding the learning styles of software architects has significant implications for software engineering education and the training of these professionals. It enables courses and instructors to tailor their approaches by emphasizing practice and experimentation to foster problem-solving skills. Furthermore, it facilitates the design of activities that promote decision-making and goal-setting in the field of software architecture.