Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

The diversity of life on Earth is expanding, that the people that lives in this world

have adapted the different ways of learning and developed unique erudition. But all of

them have one thing in common and that is they are all continuously learning, whether

through life experiences or what they have learned from school. In this modernized world

we’re living in, people are able to adapt and learn through different ways of learning. On

the other hand, people still experience difficulties on now they’ll deal with their studies

without knowing their learning styles. With the integration of technology in the new

generation, there are various techniques being introduced to improve one’s absorption of

the learning. Every student is considered unique, thus, knowledge and information are

being absorbed by them through their different learning styles.

As Philippines continuously rise, the quality of education also improves with the

help of technology where in it helps and allows us to access information, improve the

student’s academic performance and enhance teaching and learning quality, as

described by George (1979). Learning style is a persons’ behaviour that indicates how

they adapt their learning environment.The educational trend brought out by a number of

ground breaking researches tells that one can be an effective facilitator of learning if one

has a good working knowledge of the learners’ development.

The Basic Education act of 2013 commonly known as K to 12 has been already

implemented to every school including MORMS. This new curriculum gives an avenue
for every MORMS student to develop and mold their knowledge and skills with the aid of

different learning strategies they use. Thus, the purpose of this research is to identify the

different kinds of learning styles used by the Senior High School STEM students of

Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School. This will help them enhance their academic

performance and retention. Since students with a specific learning style tend to perform

better in activities that are typically associated with their learning style, this should serve

as a precaution to teachers who should attempt to address the learning styles needs of

all students.

Statement of the Problem

This present study aims to determine the different learning styles of the Senior

High School STEM students of MORMS. Specifically, it sought to answer the following

questions:

1). What are the commonly used learning styles of Senior High School STEM students in

terms of:

a). Earth and Life Science

b). General Mathematics

c). Oral Communication

d). Personal Development

2). What are the benefits of using these learning styles in the learning capacity of the

Senior High School STEM students?

3). What strategies can be made to strengthen students’ learning styles?

Scope and Delimitation

The researchers will only focus on determining the learning styles of Senior

High School students of MORMS . Also, the benefits of the learning styles in the learning

capacity of the students will also be identified. The present study does not include other

issues related to learning styles and is limited only on the learning styles used by the

respondents. The researchers will also propose strategies which will strengthen the

learning styles of the students.

Significance of the Study

Knowing and understanding the different learning styles can improve the

students’ insights and avoid misunderstanding between the different ways of learning.

These learning styles will ensure that the students will have an opportunity to learn new

and effective strategies. The findings of this study would be beneficial to the following:

School. This study may serve as the basis for the formulation of guidelines and

instructional programs which will address and meet the needs of the students.

Teacher. The research will help and guide every teacher especially those who

are handling the senior high school STEM students. It may also help them to be more

effective in their learning strategies thus concerning the diverse learning styles of the

students.

Students .This research will widen the knowledge of STEM students of MORMS

about their learning styles so that they can utilize them to address their problem on how

they can remember, understand, add, and retain their prior knowledge in their long-term

memory.
 Researchers. The present study will help the researchers to plan and organize

more effective learning styles suited for them.

Future Researchers .This research will guide the future researchers to have the

proficiency about their topic. The findings and recommendations of the present study

may inspire them to come up with related studies which will more strengthen the claims

of the researchers regarding the learning styles of the students.

 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

This chapter presents all the related literature and studies either local or

foreign,that contains viewpoints and ideas of the experts, writers, and educators

concerning their different perspective about learning styles. This chapter also contains

the conceptual framework and the definition of terms that the readers need to

understand and lastly the notes to acknowledge each author and sources we visited.

Related Literature

Nowadays the word “Learning styles” ring a bell, which caught some people’s

attention and interest which ended up on many reviews and researches. According to

Hilliard “ Learning style” is the sum of the patterns on how individuals develop habitual

ways of responding to experience.

In past years, the study on learning styles sparked an immersing interest both

on independent and academic experts though there are some difficulties and confusion

because of the definition on conceptualization of learning styles (Coffield, Mosely, Hall,

and Ecclestone, 2004), but the research went forward.

Adler (Apud Kramar, 2002) introduced the concept of “style” in psychology in the

phrase “life style”. Currently, large models, studies and research about learning styles

were made but every theories face criticism in different fields, since every authors point

of view is different. But because of this definition and conceptualization of learning styles

is slowly building up.

 Individual interact with their environment, which determines the condition of their

different approaches. So learning styles guides and stables environment conditions, to

select a teaching specific approaches to individual learning (Entwistle, 2000). The result

is a connection between learning environment and learning styles of every individual.

Howard Gardner, an American Psychologist stated that there are 9 kinds of

intelligence that we people may have. He believes that different intelligence may be

independent abilities. He stated that a person may be good in one domain but low in

another (Gardner 1993). All of us holds in intelligences but in varying degrees of

strength.

There are nine kinds of intelligence:

Verbal-linguistic intelligence -this involves the written language, the ability to learn and

the capacity to use it to achieve a certain goal (Gardner, 1999:37)

Logical/Mathematical intelligence -it involves the ability to reason either inductively or

deductively, to recognize and to manipulate abstract patterns and relationships (White et

al., 1995:181). Those who investigate issues scientifically are those who applied this

type of intelligence (Gardner 1999:42).

Intrapersonal/introspective intelligence -it involves the understanding and the

capacity of oneself. Using such information effectively is also required in regulating one’s

own life (Gardner 1999:43).

Interpersonal intelligence -this denotes the capacity of a person to understand other

people and to work more effectively with others (Gardner, 1999:43)

Bodily/kinesthetic intelligence -the potential of oneself to use a part of the body to

solve problems (Gardner, 1999:42). In other words as stated by White (1995:181) this
type of intelligence involves using body to solve problem, convey ideas or emotion, and

also to create a product.

Visual/spatial intelligence -the ability to create organizing ideas spatially by learning

visually. Seeing ideas in action to understand them.

Musical/rhythmic intelligence -it involves skills in performing as well as the

appreciation or musical patterns (Gardner 1999:42). It includes auditory, they learn

through patterns, rhythms, and music.

Naturalist (nature smart) -they learn through hierarchies, classification and categories.

Its no simply a study of nature it can be applied to all areas.

Existential (spirit smart) -they commonly answer question by solving in the bigger

picture

Based from Fatt (2000) a person uses their senses to collect knowledge and

through this learners can channel it and make up an idea by dividing it into three

separate routes which is called representational system, these systems include visual,

auditory and kinesthetic. According to Fatt (2000) a person doesn’t need a

predominantly preferred learning style but they can still function through using their

learning style in different times and situations.

Individuals learn in many ways, that idea had been around as early as 334 BC.

Where in Aristotle once said “each child possessed specific talents and skills. “And he

also observed the young children’s individual differences. (Reiff, 92)

 Coffield, Mosely,Hall,and Ecclestone (2004) said that in every study has its own

weakness and strength, that is why no model satisfied the appropriate learning styles on

each students. They say in order to know the meaning of learning styles you should

know the factors affecting your perspective. Although there are different results between

claims, methods and reviews there are common between them where every approach

has specific type of motivation on processing strategy. Many studies have done, that’s

why different models were made but all of them just partially explains what learning style

really is, because of different criticism provided, thus a conclusion takes place that

building a theory about learning style maybe satisfactory but still will bring up another

questions and issues in the future.

Related Studies

Learning style is one of the cause of a learner to be in a different studies that

leads in creating different models about it. This study helps you on how a learner absorb,

learn, and seek for an information with the different trend in education.

A study of Felder and Silverman entitled “ Learning and Teaching styles in

Engineering Education” in the year 2002 , said that a student’s learning style can be

determined by giving the answer of the following question:

What type of information does the student preferentially perceived?

What is the most effectively perceived type of sensory information?

How does the student prefer to process information?

How does the student characteristically progress toward understanding?

 Felder and Silverman also gave more detailed descriptions of the nature and

consequences of learning and teaching style mismatches and the attributes of the

different model categories.

In order to assess preferences on the four scales of the Felder-Silverman model

use the Index of Learning Style by Richard Felder and Barbara Soloman. It is a forty-

four-item forced-choice instrument developed in 1991.

Definition of terms

Its better to know first the meaning of essential words that can be found along the

this study to understand and define what learning style is, based on Kolb (1989) learning

style is a process that is created through experiences.

The following are words that will help us in understanding the preferred learning

style of students:

Auditory learners -students who learn or understand if the hear sound or music. They

prefer to hear information given to them.

Iconic -visual iconic, are people who are good in remembering picture in their memory

or have good “picture memory”.

Listeners -student who do better in school just by hearing, even if they do not use their

notes and visuals.

Kinesthetic -or tactile, some who prefer in hands on or doing than listening or seeing

something, they learn if they do certain thing.

Symbolic -type of visual learners, who are good in abstract thinking which do not

require practical means in learning.

Talkers -the one who learned from talking and sharing ideas around them.

Visual -someone who prefers using images or pictures to learn

Conceptual Framework

The figure shows the conceptual framework of the study.

STEM students of Marcial O. Ranola Memorial School usually engage in different

learning styles such as visual, tactile, and auditory. By using the different learning styles

they are able to have knowledge in getting information as well as the learning skills.

Below is the illustration of the conceptual framework.

Input Process Output

talkers
auditory
Knowledge
listeners
Students Students
diversity of learning Understanding
grade 11 Tactile
style Information
STEM
students of Iconic skills
MORMS
visual

symbolic
 Notes

Coffield, F, Moseley, D., Hall, E., si Ecclestone, K., (2004). Should we be using learning
styles, Journal of psychology. What research has to say to
practice. Learning, and skill research center, NLN Press, New York www.LSRS.ac.vlc.

Entwistle, N.J., (2000). Promoting deep learning through teaching and assessment:
Conceptual frameworks and educational contexts, Paper presented at the TLRP
conference, Leicester, November 2000.

Fatt J.P. (2000). Understanding the learning styles of students. International journal of
sociology and social policy, 20(11), 31-45. Retrieved December 5, 2018 from
http//dx.doi.org/10.1108/014433300100789269

Felder, R.M.,& Silverman, L. K. (1988). Learning styles and Teaching styles in engineering
education .Engineering Education,78(7),674-681.

Gardner, H., (1993): Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligence. (10th anniversary
Ed). Basic books.

Gardner, H., (1999): Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New
York, Basic books.

Hilliard, A.G., III. (1989). Teachers and cultural styles in a pluralistic society in NEA today:
Newspaper for members of the National Education Association ( Vol. 7, Issue 6, pp.59-
69). Retrieved from eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ404551

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and

development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ : Prentice-Hall.

Kramar, M., (2002). Phisilogia stilurilor de gandire si actu

Maru, D., (2002) Learning styles of students, Thesis summary.

Massa, L.J., & Mayer, R.E. (2006). Testing the ATI hypothesis: Should multimedia instruction
accommodate verbalizer-visualizer cognitive style? Learning and Individual Differences,
16, 321–336

Vermunt, J. D. (1998). The regulation of constructive learning process. British Journal of

Educational Psychology, 68(2), 149-171.
White, N,; Blythe, T. & Gardner, H. (1995): “Multiple intelligences theory: Creating the
thoughtful classroom.” In: Fogarty, R.; Bellanca, J.; Hauker, M., (Eds). Multiple
intelligences: A collection. Hauker Brownlow Education.