Learning Styles of Students and their Effect on Academic Achievement

Abstract

This study has been conducted to investigate the effects of different learning styles on students’ achievement. The objectives of the study were to investigate the effect, if any of the learning styles of students on their achievement. Second to point out which learning style performs better on achievement tests. This study is motivated by the work of Kolb (1984) and Mecleod (2017) as they provided the characteristics of learning with certain learning styles and how they prefer to learn. Four learning styles i.e. convergent, divergent, assimilators and accommodators have been identified using Kolb’s learning style inventory. This study was conducted using a true experimental research design. A post-test-only control group design has been used. Two groups experimental and control were developed. This experiment was conducted with 80 participants of grade 7th in the subject of general science. Each group i.e. experimental and control consisted of 40 participants. The participants were assigned to the groups based on their learning style and previous class results Through a matching technique. The experimental group was taught through differentiated/ tired lesson plans while the control group was taught through existing traditional teaching methods i.e. lecture method and sometimes questioning from teachers and students. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics. The results indicated that in the control and experimental group’s assimilators outperform other learning styles i.e. convergent, divergent, and accommodators. Students with different learning styles did not show significant differences on achievement tests either in the experimental or in the control group. However overall participants of the experimental group performed better than the control group. Hence it was concluded that learning styles make no difference in the achievement of the participants within the experimental and control group. But all the participants with different learning styles performed better when they were taught based on their learning styles. Hence more studies are recommended to test if learning styles have any effect on students' academic achievement. It is also recommended that learning styles-based teaching should be adopted as it increases the achievement of all the participants with any learning styles.