Effects of Learning Styles and Instructional Strategies on Students’ Achievement in Nigerian Senior Secondary School Physics

Abstract

A shift from the traditional to a progressive mode of education in the past years had led to an increase interest in learners’ individual differences. The new paradigm is student-centered, based on inclusiveness, collaborative learning, critical thinking, creativity, innovation and encourages diversity of reception and processing of information. Hence, this study investigated the effects of learning styles and instructional strategies on students’ achievement in the concept of electricity in Nigerian senior secondary school physics. 250 senior secondary two (SSII) physics students were used for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select six schools from the population. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. Physics Achievement Test (PAT) with reliability coefficient of 0.82 using Kuder Richardson-21 and Index of Learning Style Questionnaire (ILSQ) with reliability coefficient of 0.88 using test-retest approach were the two instruments used for gathering the data. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. The results showed that guided discovery is the most effective instructional strategy for physics students with Sensing/Intuitive learning style, demonstration is the most effective instructional strategy for physics students with Sequential/Global learning style while conventional strategy is the most effective for physics students with Visual/Verbal learning style. The results also indicated that Active/Reflective learning style was placed second in the order of facilitating students’ achievement in physics when taught with guided discovery, demonstration and conventional learning strategies respectively. This implies that the three instructional strategies can be used for the enhancement of the achievement of students with Active/Reflective learning styles in the concept of electricity in physics.  It is recommended among others that teachers should find out the learning styles of their students and use appropriate instructional strategies that will concise with the learning styles for effective teaching and learning to take place in physics classrooms.

Keywords: Learning Styles, Sensory/Intuitive, Sequential/Global, Visual/Verbal, Active/Reflective, Instructional Strategies, Students’ Achievement, Physics, Guided Discovery, Demonstration, Conventional.