Date of Award

1992

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology

Abstract

This experimental investigation was aimed at determining the effect of matching learning styles and instruction upon academic achievement of students receiving an interactive learning experience in chemistry. The purpose of the study was to isolate four basic learning styles, design style-specific instruction, and test their effects upon student academic achievement levels in an interactive learning environment. This was an experimental investigation utilizing a post-test only control group with randomization research design. This design was chosen because it enabled the researcher to isolate the dependent variable and test it for statistical effect. Subjects for this study included 197 students enrolled at Indiana State University who were enrolled in Inorganic Chemistry 103 or who had taken its equivalent. Each student was asked to complete Titration, a computer based program that was designed to: (a) identify the student's learning style, (b) randomly assign an affiliation with either the Control Group or a treatment group, (c) provide style-specific instruction in chemical titration, and (d) test for academic achievement. The results of an analysis of variance indicated a significant difference between academic achievement test scores for each of the treatment groups which received a matched tutorial and academic achievement test scores for the Control Group which received an unmatched tutorial. This study showed that academic achievement gains could be obtained in understanding chemical titration through the use of an interactive learning environment when style-specific instruction was provided.

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