Learning styles (visual - auditory - kinesthetic) and their relationship to the teaching methods used in general education from the students' perspective

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the correlation that exist between learning styles (visual/auditory/kinesthetic) and the teaching modes used in general education schools in Wasit Governorate. Descriptive correlational research design has been adopted, and two research instruments were used mainly including the first, which was used to determine the preferred learning styles of the students, according to VARK model and the second, which was used to determine the instructions used during teaching as perceived by the students themselves. Ten students (50 males and 50 females) representing second and third intermediate grades were selected based on the stratified random sampling procedure in order to ensure differences in gender and level. This has revealed that visual learning style was the most common among students (42%), then the auditory learning style (34%) and lastly the kinesthetic learning style (24%). In the case of the teaching approach, lecture approach was identified as the most used (mean = 4.02), then visual approach, practical approach and collaborative approach respectively. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed statistically significant associations between learning styles and correspondent teaching methods with strongest ones between kinesthetic style and practical method (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). Also, the results of t-test showed statistically significant gender-related differences in preference towards particular method: females more toward visual and collaborative, males more toward the kinesthetic one. Such results emphasize the necessity to match teaching strategies with different learning styles of students, discussion of the necessity to change the traditional manner of classroom practice aiming at the improvement of the educational quality and conditions of more effective learning in the Iraqi educational system.