A Study of the Perceptual Learning Styles of Fifth and Sixth Grade Remedial and Non-Remedial Math Students
One purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the perceptual learning styles of remedial and non-remedial mathematics students. A further purpose was to determine if there were any combinations of learnings style variables and mathematics subtest scores that would serve as significant predictors of remedial or non-remedial group placement. Also investigated was the ability of students to accurately identify their perceptual learning strengths by using a self-reporting perceptual preference survey. Participants in the study were fifty-eight students in grades five and six. They attended a rural southwest Missouri elementary school. Instruments used in the study include the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Mathematics subtest, a standardized achievement test; the Swassing-Barbe Modality Index, a test to measure perceptual strengths; and the Learning Style Questionnaire, Perceptual Preferences subtest, a self-reporting survey used to identify self-perceived perceptual preferences. No significant difference was found between the perceptual learning styles of remedial and non-remedial mathematics students. There were no significant predictors of remedial or non-remedial group placement, and only about half of the students were able to identify even a portion of their perceptual strengths, with less than twenty percent being completely accurate.
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