An investigation of the relationship between students' formal level of cognitive development, learning styles, and mathematics achievement in eleventh grade in Abha, Saudi Arabia

The purpose of this study was to examine male eleventh grade students in Abha district in Saudi Arabia in order to discover their Piagetian cognitive level and to determine whether differences among students exist based on their cognitive levels and their learning styles regarding their achievement in mathematics. Three Piagetian levels of cognitive development: formal (abstract), transitional, and preformal (concrete) were identified. Four learning styles deep, elaborative, fact retention, and methodical study were also used.;Each student was administered three instruments. The Burney Logical Reasoning Test (BLRT) was used to gather data about students' Piagetian cognitive development levels. The Inventory of Learning Processes (ILP) was applied to identify students' learning styles. Aseeri Mathematics Achievement Test (AMAT) was developed by the researcher to measure students' achievement in mathematics. Factorial analysis of variance (two-way ANOVA) was the statistical procedure used in this study.;The findings of this study were as follows: (1) There was a significant difference among students in their Piagetian cognitive development levels in grade 11th in Abha district, Saudi Arabia. (2) Only about 21.6% of the total sample were at the formal level, 44.9% were found at the transitional level, and 33.5% of them were at the preformal (concrete) level. (3) There was a significant difference between students' Piagetian cognitive development levels and their achievement in mathematics (p = .00 alpha = .05). (4) Students who were at the formal level (abstract) of cognitive development achieved the highest mean score in their mathematics achievement. (5) Students who were at the preformal level achieved the lowest mean score in their achievement in mathematics. (6) In this study, there was no significant difference between students' learning styles and their achievement in mathematics.;In general, the findings of this study suggest that teachers, textbook authors, and curriculum planners should take into consideration students' cognitive development levels in curriculum design, textbook writing, and teaching approaches. Similar studies related to cognitive development, curriculum design and teaching approaches should be conducted to further identify effective approaches to enhance learning among students at various levels of cognitive development in Saudi Schools.