| This researcher investigated the learning-style characteristics of high school Bermudian students in one senior high-school and compared the similarities and differences among male and female, low- and high-achieving students. The researcher also addressed students' learning-style preferences as they contributed to the elimination/reduction of poor classroom behavior.;The 21 learning-style inventory computer-generated data were used to identify students' learning style. TerraNova (McGraw-Hill, 1997) scores divided students into high-, average-, and low-achieving students. Their total scale scores (SS), to one standard deviation, were used to make this division. Data were collected and analyzed using the SPSS (2002) and descriptive statistics; analysis of variances (ANOVA); and appropriate post hoc tests were performed. The alpha level was established at the p < .05. Students who received a red card were cited as students with behavior challenges. Gender was revealed via school data.;An ANOVA revealed nine areas of significant differences among the 21 learning-style elements for gender at the .05 level. These nine areas were Design; Motivation; Persistence; Responsibility; Learning in Several Ways; Auditory; Tactile; Parent Motivated; and Teacher Motivated. For the second hypothesis, sound was the only significant difference found for achievement.;For the third hypothesis, an ANOVA revealed significant differences between the learning styles of students with discipline problems and those without discipline problems. Students with behavioral problems frequently preferred low Light, an informal Design and they were not Persistent. These characteristics tend to be indicative of a global processing style (Dunn, Bruno, Sklar, & Beaudry, 1990; Dunn, Cavanaugh, Eberle, & Zenhausern, 1981).;A second part of this research involved an interview process where data from 21 students' interviews were complied. The answers revealed students' beliefs about their learning styles. Most adolescents, especially the behaviorally challenged, attended school to socialize. These students noted that the alternative schools better met their needs because the teachers there were willing to work with them and encouraged them to question. |
