Effects of learning-style awareness and responsive study strategies on achievement in, incidence of study of, and attitude toward mathematics of suburban eighth-grade students

This study investigated the effects of learning-style strategies applied to mathematics homework/studying. The subjects were eighth-grade students (n = 130) who were multi-ethnic (predominantly Hispanic) in a suburban middle school. These subjects were homogeneously grouped into two cohorts--one for students of average achievement and another for students of below-average achievement.;The experimental groups in each cohort were administered the Learning-Style Inventory (Dunn, Dunn, & Price, 1991) to identify their learning-style preferences. Achievement was assessed through six mathematics tests for each cohort. The Semantic Differential Scale (Pizzo, 1981) assessed students' attitudes.;Two treatments were administered. The first treatment consisted of providing the experimental groups with information concerning individuals' learning-style preferences and homework/study prescriptions based on those preferences. The control groups were provided traditional study-skills suggestions. The second treatment, administered two weeks later, consisted of direct instruction in study skills. Those in the experimental groups received instruction in study strategies that took advantage of individuals' learning-style preferences. The control groups received instruction in traditional study skills.;An ANCOVA revealed that all students in the experimental groups (average and below-average achievers) had significantly higher achievement test scores as a result of the first treatment (p ;The data revealed statistically higher attitude scores for the experimental groups compared with the control groups (p ;No significant differences or gains were revealed in the incidence of studying for any group. However, the control groups in Cohorts One and Two evidenced a significant decrease (p ;This study evidenced that learning-style strategies applied to homework/studying are more productive than traditional study-skills strategies. Although students in both groups did not study more, the learning-style strategies enabled them to study more effectively--thus increasing their achievement scores significantly. Attitudes toward homework/studying mathematics also were shown to be influenced positively by the application of learning-style strategies.