Judicial Education and Judicial Learning Styles: Are Judges Different to Other Learners?

In its report on judicial impartiality, Without Fear of Favour, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) declined to recommend that judicial education should be mandatory. Theories of education and learning suggest that, like other adult learners, motivating judicial officers to engage in judicial education voluntarily means the education must be attractive. Theories of learning indicate that one method of increasing the attractiveness of education is to align it with learners' preferred approaches to learning. However, there is no empirical data on Australian judicial officers' preferred approaches to education. This article presents the results of a survey of preferred judicial learning styles among Australian judicial officers. It finds that Australian judicial officers' preferences are diverse, but there are consistent patterns among respondents according to their jurisdiction and experience. The results guide courts and judicial education bodies in fostering the culture of engagement in judicial education proposed by the ALRC.