Abstract:
The purposes of this research were to study the cognitive styles and the GOMS styles
of undergraduate students at King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok
(KMUTNB), and to study the relations between the students' cognitive styles and their GOMS
styles. The research was conducted by employing a mixed methodology. A questionnaire
was designed (α = .78) to collect the quantitative data from 500 KMUTNB undergraduate
students, who were the sample group in this research, and 445 completed questionnaires
were analyzed and interpreted. In-depth interviews were run for qualitative data with 30
samples. The research results were as follows: (1) The cognitive styles of the majority of the
KMUTNB undergraduate student participants were "I-N-F" (n = 71, 15.96%), " I-S-T" (n = 67,
15.06%), and "E-S-T" and " I-S-F" (n = 52, 11.69% each). (2) The relationship between the
students' cognitive styles and GOMS styles was statistically significant at .01. (3) With regard
to the students ' GOMS styles, it was found that when communicating with others, the
students were mostly concerned about expenses. Since the cheapest cost of
communication was important. they chose to use the application Line. When they wished to
enjoy multimedia, they were concerned about the stability of the Internet connection, and
the best quality of picture and sound was the most crucial factor, which made them choose
to use a notebook/PC. When they looked for information to complete their homework or
assignments, they were concerned about the comfort of typing. A comfortable keyboard was
the reason for their decision, which in turn made them choose a notebook/PC. In order to
follow hot social issues, they were concerned about convenience. For easy access, they
chose to use a smartphone. When they wanted to receive daily news, it was important that
they could quickly access the topic s of their interest, so the basis of their decision was the
ability to choose the time to receive news, and the types and other detail s of the news.
Therefore, the smartphone was their tool of choice for this purpose. When the students
wished to use Line or Facebook, or when they spent time alone on their notebook/PC, they
were mostly concerned about convenience, privacy, and the satisfaction of communication.
When convenience was important, they chose to use a smartphone. Finally, when they
wished to play games, they were concerned about the enjoyment, excitement, relaxation,
and the extended length of time in using the tool. They were more concerned about the
quality of the picture and sound, as well as the comfort, so they chose to use a notebook/PC.