Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study

Learning is omnipresent. It is a course of study, a means of obtaining skills or simply

acquiring knowledge inadvertently. It has taken place only when learners observe a relatively

positive change in their behavior resulting from what has been experienced. Through experiences

in life more learning is adopted in such a way that can be applied in facing and in preparing for

the future.

All men can learn but not all men learn in the same way. In education they call it

individual learning differences. Students study more effectively through their own learning style

preference. Learning style is an individual’s natural or habitual pattern of acquiring and

processing information in learning situation (Gardner, 2011). It is a tool of the students to acquire

their learning to be more effective in their studies. It is also a technique or way of students to

study easily and a way to gain more knowledge. The idea of individualized learning style

originated in the 1970s and has great influence to education. Teachers teach the students how to

develop their own learning style preference in order to develop their confidence, attitude towards

learning, thereby improving academic achievement.

Teacher’s role is to implement or transfer positive learning to the students. Educating

students about their own learning styles has benefits that can extend beyond the walls of the

classroom (Dunn et. al., 2009). Dunn emphasized four learning styles which are visual, auditory,

tactile and kinesthetic. Visual learners must see teacher’s action and facial expression to fully

understand the content of a lesson. Auditory learner learns best through verbal lectures,

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discussions, talking things through and listening to what others say. Tactile learners need hands

on activities and enjoy working with tangible objects. Kinesthetic learners require whole body

movement and real life experiences to absorb and retain the material to be earned. When students

are aware of their own styles they are more likely to take initiatives in their own learning process

and make judgement to learn in ways better suited to their preferences.

In Urdaneta City University, teacher education students having different packages of

intellect learn in different ways. Sometimes learning is a burdening process because students meet

failures in studying their lessons. These lessons vary depending on the courses which include

general education, major/core subjects, and professional education. Professional Education

courses are vital to students taking up teacher education because these will prepare them to

becoming teachers in the future. These entail a lot of preparation which include doing well in

class, making portfolio, demonstration teaching, to name a few.

Child and Adolescent Development is one of the professional education courses. This

course focuses on current research and theory on the biological, linguistic, cognitive, social and

emotional dimensions of development and the factors that affect the progress of development. The

coverage of the course is structured to the key dimensions of the development of children and

adolescents: physical, linguistic, cognitive and socio-emotional development. Particular emphasis

is given to the factors that have been identified as having positive or negative effects on the

natural course of these developmental processes. In addition, focus is given to exceptional cases

when children or adolescents vary from the natural course. The coverage of these ideas is

intended to provide the future teacher with a broad yet fairly detailed understanding of the

developmental processes that students undergo and do that such an understanding may be used to

guide all dealings with the students.

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Graduates from other programs enrol in teacher education to obtain education units for

them to be able to enter the teaching profession. They are often called unit earners who enrol in

professional education such as Assessment of Learning, Child and Adolescent Development,

among others. The units they take depend on their previous baccalaureate degree earned in

college as evaluated by the college registrar. The courses they are enrolled in are the same with

the regular students who are taking straight Bachelor of Secondary Education or Bachelor in

Elementary Education, but they are not merged as one section.

In relation to this, the researchers conducted this study to determine the learning style

preference and performance of students enrolled in a regular class and unit earners. This study is

aimed at making comparative analysis on their learning styles and performance.

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Statement of the Problem

This study was conducted to find out the learning style preference of teacher education

regular students and unit earners at the Urdaneta City University who were enrolled in Child and

Adolescent Development.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following:

1. What are the learning style preferences of teacher education student regular students and

unit eaners:

a. Visual learning

b. Auditory learning

c. Tactile learning

d. Kinesthetic learning?

2. What is the performance of regular students and unit earners in Child Adolescent

Development?

3. Is there a significant difference between the learning styles of regular students and unit

earners?

4. Is there a significant relationship between students’ learning styles and their performance

in Child Adolescent Development?

Research Hypotheses

1. There is no significant difference between the learning styles of regular students and unit

earners.

2. There is no significant relationship between students’ learning styles and their

performance in Child Adolescent Development.

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Importance of the Study

This study attempts to investigate the different learning styles and performance of regular

education students and unit earners in terms of learning Child Adolescent Development.

It gives importance to the following:

Students. By knowing their learning style preference, students can develop their

confidence, attitude towards learning, thereby improving their academic performance.

Instructors. Instructors can adjust their teaching styles to match with their students

learning styles to meet effective learning.

College Dean. It helps in academic planning to have more effective delivery of

instruction.

Future Researchers. They can include other learning styles and related learning strategies

for future researches. They may also take account of the teaching styles which may be salient in

the manifestation of students’ learning styles.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study focused on the learning styles of teacher education students, both regular and

unit earners, enrolled in Child and Adolescent Development during the second semester,

academic year 2014-2015. It also looked into their midterm grade performance in the subject.

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CHAPTER 2

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This part of the action research presents and discusses the research design, sources of data,

population and local of the study, instrumentation/data collection and tools for analysis.

Research Design

This action research used the descriptive survey method to describe the nature of the

situation as it exists at the time of the study and to explore the causes of particular phenomena. It

describes systematically a situation or area of interest factually and accurately and allows the

researcher to carefully describe and understand behavior (Calmorin, 2009).

Population and Locale of the Study

The subjects of the action research were fifty-six (56) students taking up Teacher

Education, 14 regular students and 42 unit earners and enrolled in Child and Adolescent

Development, second semester, academic year 2014-2015, at the Urdaneta City University,

Urdaneta City.

Data Gathering Tools and Procedures

In order to get the pertinent information to determine the learning styles of the two

sections, the researchers used the standardized questionnaires on learning styles by Dunn and

Dunn (2009). The researchers made comparative analysis of their learning styles and midterm

grade performance to find out if there exists a correlation between these variables.

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Treatment of Data

The data collected were tabulated and treated with the proper statistical measures.

For problem number 1, the learning styles which are visual, auditory, tactile and

kinesthetic were computed using average weighted mean. Learning style preferences were

determined using frequency counts and percentages.

For problem number 2, the performance of education students was based on their midterm

examination and interpreted using the scale below:

Grade Descriptive Equivalent

1.0 Excellent

1.25 – 1.75 Very Good

2.00 – 2.50 Good

2.75 – 3.00 Fair

Below 3.00 Poor

For problem number 3, significant difference between regular students’ and units earners’

learning styles was determined using t-test.

For problem number 4, significant relationship between students’ learning styles and

performance was computed using Pearson r.

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CHAPTER 3

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents, analyzes and interprets the data collected from the respondents.

Learning Style Preference of Teacher Education Students

Table 1 shows the learning style preference of regular students in Child and Adolescent

Development.

Table 1Learning Style Preference of Regular Students

LEARNING STYLES

FREQUENCY

PERCENTAGERAN

KVisual learning 8 57% 1Auditory learning 4 29% 2Tactile learning 2 14% 3Kinesthetic learning 0 0% 4

Total 14 100%

The result reveals that regular students are mostly visual learners with a rating of 57%. It

also shows that none of them are kinesthetic learners. Their dominant learning style is being

visual learners. They learn best by visual image association with the use of pictures, diagrams,

slides, posters and visual aids. These are translated easily on their minds which can make their

memory recall faster. Further, Child and Adolescent Development is a subject which involves

lecture method, brainstorming, visual and multimedia presentation. Most students use their visual

senses to learn. This strongly supports the findings why students are frequently visual learners.

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The result runs parallel with the study conducted by Serquina and Peralta (2014) to students

enrolled in Bachelor of Secondary Education in Pangasinan State University. Most of the students

are also visual learners.

Table 2 depicts the learning style preference of unit earners in Child and Adolescent

Development.

Table 2Learning Style Preference of Unit Earners

LEARNING STYLES

FREQUENCY

PERCENTAGERAN

KVisual learning 22 52% 1Auditory learning 9 21% 2.5Tactile learning 9 21% 2.5Kinesthetic learning 2 5% 4Total 42 100%

The table shows that 22 (52%) unit earners exemplify visual learning. They learn best by

their visual senses, that is, through seeing and watching. These students consider visual

stimulation as the most significant factor in their learning. Nine (21%) of them are auditory and

tactile learners. They easily assimilate learning through hearing the teacher’s lectures and

listening to background music while studying. They also prefer working with tangible objects by

having group or individual activities. Two (5%) are kinesthetic learners. Learning becomes

apparent if whole body moves and real life experiences are involved. With their maturity level

being college graduates, they can easily relate to Child and Adolescent Development for they can

make their own life story the focus of discussion. Different teaching strategies like the traditional

blackboard, the emergence of different instructional materials such as multimedia presentation

and film viewing, the use of brainstorming, role playing, and many others may reinforce different

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learning styles. Unit earners may have explored and utilized their different learning styles due to

the aforementioned reasons. Though how divergent the learning style preferences are, the

convergence of the perceptual channels of learners are still dominant that they pour in a lot of

manifestation of learning on visual matters. The result corroborates with that of the regular

students where visual learning is epitomized.

Performance of Students in Child and Adolescent Development

The performance of teacher education students in the Professional Education (Prof Ed)

subject Child and Adolescent Development is presented in Table 3.

Table 3Performance of Regular Students and Unit Learners

The findings disclose that regular students are good in the subject as indicated by the mean

rating of 2.43, while the unit earners are very good with an average grade of 1.66. Unit earners

perform better compared to regular students. This is due to the fact that unit earners are college

degree holders who are expected to have more experience in studying and they are more mature

as compared to college level students. Learning sometimes dictates the maturity of individuals

because maturity plays a vital role in learning. This is justified by the readiness in learning as one

of the principles of teaching. The mind is more receptive to things within the grasp of the learner.

Being older in age, unit earners can share more experience about Child and Adolescent

Development that they become more active and participative in class. They can spell out the true

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PERFORMANCE WMDESCRIPTIVE EQUIVALENT

Regular Students 2.43 GoodUnit Earners 1.66 Very Good

meaning of child and adolescent development being adult themselves. Some of them are married

and have children that they can relate with the subject matter more closely. They can easily

interact and relate themselves to the topic. Child and Adolescent Development is a subject which

interests many students for they are part of the development. Most discussions are focused on

how a human being developed from a blank tablet of infancy to becoming carefree adolescents.

Students put themselves on the shoes of the central issue of discussion. They become empathetic

for they, themselves, are the subject.

Significant Difference Between the Learning Styles of Regular Students and Unit Earners

The significant difference between the learning styles of regular students and unit earners

can be gleaned on Table 4.

Table 4

Significant Difference Between the Learning Styles of Regular Students and Unit Earners

t value t critical REMARKS1.27 1.67 not significant

The findings reveal that the t value is less than the t critical which means that the result is

not significant. This suggests that there is no significant difference between the learning styles of

regular students and unit earners. It implies that no matter what type of students are enrolled in

the subject Child and Adolescent Development, students emulate the same learning style. Though

the performance varies significantly between these two types of learners, this is not affected by

their styles in learning.

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Significant Relationship Between Students’ Learning Styles and Their Performance in Child Adolescent Development

The significant relationship between the learning styles of students and their performance is

shown on Table 5.

Table 5

Significant Relationship Between Students’ Learning Stylesand their Performance in Child Adolescent Development

r value REMARK0.07 not significant

The result shows that there is no significant correlation between the learning styles of

students and their performance. It means that their performance is not an indicator that dictates

what type of learners are they. There is no evidence showing that learning styles affect the

performance of students.

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CHAPTER 4

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter presents the summary, conclusions and recommendations of the study.

Summary

The main purpose of this study was to determine the learning style preference of education

students enrolled in Child and Adolescent Development during the second semester, academic

year 2014-2015 at the Urdaneta City University.

It sought answers to the following sub-problems:

1. Learning style preference of teacher education students;

2. Performance of regular students and unit earners in Child Adolescent Development;

3. Significant difference between the learning styles of regular students and unit earners; and

4. Significant relationship between students’ learning styles and their performance in Child

Adolescent Development.

The result of the midterm grade was used to determine the performance of education

students. A questionnaire checklist on learning styles was also used to find out the learning style

preferences of students. Fifty-six (56) education students were included in the study, 14 regular

students and 42 unit earners. The frequency counts, percentages, average weighted mean, t-test

and Pearson Product Moment of Correlation (Pearson r) were used in the analysis of the data.

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Conclusions

Based from the analysis and interpretation of data, the researchers arrived at the following

conclusions:

1. Teacher education regular students and unit earners are visual learners;

2. Regular students are good in the subject Child and Adolescent Development while the unit

learners are very good;

3. There is no significant difference between the learning styles of regular students and unit

earners;

4. There is no significant correlation between students’ learning styles and their performance.

Recommendations

From the conclusions of the study, the researchers recommend the following:

1. The students should develop more of their auditory and tactile learning styles and strengthen their

kinesthetic learning style to open doors for better learning opportunities;

2. Regular students may have advanced reading and determine experiences of others during their

child and adolescent years to be able to fully relate themselves with the subject. This may improve

their performance and consequently increase their grades.

3. Other studies may be conducted as regards teaching styles which may give effect on students’

learning styles to enrich the present study.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. Books

Bondoc, Victoriano, P., et al. (2014). Action Research Made Easy. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.

Calderon, Jose F. and Gonzales, Expectacion C. (2010).Methods of Research and Thesis Writing.Mandaluyong City. National Bookstore, Inc.

Calmorin, Laurentina P. and Piedad, Ma.Laurenmelch C.(2009). Statistics with Computer. Manila. Rex Book Store, Inc.

Corpuz, Brenda B., et al. (2010). Child and Adolescent Development.Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.

C. Unpublished Thesis

Serquina, Mario and Peralta, Sushmita (2014). Learning Styles of Students in Pangasinan State University. Unpublished Thesis. Pangasinan State University.

D. Others

Dunn and Dunn (2009). Learning Styles. Retrieved on March 20, 2015 at etd.lsu.edu. Gardner, R., et.al.(2011). Special Education. Retrieved on April 16, 2015 at etd.lsu.edu.

Gardner, J. (1995). “Learning Styles: Implications for Distance Learning.” New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.

Learning Theories. Retrieved March 20, 2015 at  www.emtech.net.

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APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE(Learning Style by Dunn and Dunn)

Name : _________________________Course : _________________________

Directions: Please check what type of learner you are in each of the learning preferences given using the following scale.

1 – Always 2 – Frequently 3 – Occasionally 4 – Rarely 5 - Never

Learning Styles Preferences 1 2 3 4 51. I learn best by seeing, reading and watching.2. I need to construct and use strong visual image association to

learn.3. I need to create a picture on paper or in mind to remember it.4. I like to create pictures to match with the words.5. I need to see the words rather than images.6. I daydream to imagine what things look like.7. I like demonstrations, seeing diagrams, slides, posters and

visual aids.8. Reading or seeing the words best describes me.9. I learn best by listening to verbal instructions or explanations.10. I form the sound of words to recall them.11. I remember information by hearing myself say the words.12. I read aloud instead of silently talking to myself.13. I memorize information or associate my memories with songs.14. I take active part in discussions.15. I learn best by talking to other people.16. Saying the words out loud makes me at ease.17. Using my hands feeling/touching is my style in learning.18. I like to play with objects while learning.19. I learn by taking down notes while listening.20. I underline ideas while listening.21. I need to highlight pertinent information.22. I doodle, fold a paper, play with pencil or ballpen while

learning.23. I manipulate objects while studying.24. Moving my fingers, pencil or ballpen stimulates my learning

abilities.25. I need to be physically involved to learn.26. I learn by walking around or moving my legs.27. I act out what needs to be learned.

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28. I learn while in motion, like swivelling in chair.29. I put ideas into action in order to learn them.30. I like to be directly involved in activities like role playing,

mime and the like.31. I can memorize well while moving or walking.32. I can memorize well by moving in my chair.

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