Learning style: Its relationship to students' performance in contemporary mathematics

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the relationships of the students ' learning style to their performance in Contemporary Mathematics among the education freshmen at West Visayas State University. This descriptive-correlational research was conducted among the 165 randomly selected education freshmen enrolled in Mathematics 103 - Contemporary Mathematics -for the second semesters of AY 2007-2008 using the cluster sampling method. The data needed for this research were obtained through a researcher-made Mathematical Learning Style Inventory, to determine the students' dominant learning style and Mathematics Performance Test, to determine the students' in Contemporary Mathematics. Frequencies, means, and standard deviations were employed in the descriptive analysis, while t-test, One-Way ANOVA, Chi-square test, Pearson’s r, and eta correlation were used in the inferential analysis. Significance level was set at 0.05 level of significance. Generally, the students ' dominant learning style was "cognitive " and they had "high " performance in Contemporary Mathematics. The students did not differ significantly in their learning style when classified according to family structure and family size. They did not differ significantly in their performance in Contemporary Mathematics when classified according to family structure, family size, and learning style. On the other hand, the students' learning style was not significantly related to their performance in Contemporary Mathematics. Finally, family structure, family size, and learning style were found not to significantly predict the students 'performance in Contemporary Mathematics.