Exploring the Relationship between Perceptual Learning Styles and Academic Achievement in Aizawl’s Private Higher Secondary Schools
Author : Dr. Malsawmkimi and Prof. Lallianzuali Fanai
Abstract :
This study examines the relationship between students' perceptual learning styles and their academic performance at the secondary school level. Grounded in the theoretical foundations of Reid’s (1984) Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire, this study explored six distinct styles—visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, tactile, group, and individual and how they correlate with students’ academic performance. The sample included 192 students from classes XI and XII, who were randomly selected from Oikos Higher Secondary School and Providence Higher Secondary School, covering the Science, Arts, and Commerce streams. Data were gathered utilizing a 30-item Likert scale questionnaire and subsequently analysed employing Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation. The findings consistently demonstrated minimal or non-significant correlations among all six perceptual learning styles and academic achievement, thereby reinforcing the null hypothesis that no relationship exists between these variables. The research emphasizes the constraints of depending primarily on learning style frameworks to forecast educational outcomes and stresses the necessity of implementing adaptable and inclusive teaching strategies. It suggests that educators recognize diverse learning preferences not as factors that dictate performance, but as opportunities to improve engagement, motivation, and equity in classroom practices.
Keywords :
Learning styles, perceptual learning styles, preference, academic achievement and private higher secondary schools.
