Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2000

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology

First Advisor

Larry Reck

Second Advisor

Susan M. Powers

Third Advisor

Robert E. English

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of matching teaching style with learning style on achievement and attitudes for women in a web-based distance education course. The study investigated the extent that women who received instrnction in a web-based environment that matched their learning styles as deten11ined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (thinking dominant, feeling dominant, sensing dominant, and intuition dominant) would achieve better and have more positive attitudes toward the course than did women whose learning styles did not match the teaching style. Ill Four websites were designed and students from the Women's External Degree (WED) program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College were randomly assigned. Students completed three achievement tests and completed a course survey that considered usefulness, personal enjoyment, motivation or intellectual interest, and logical organization. An analysis of variance statistical procedure was employed to test for statistical differences for each of the six nu11 hypotheses. Additionally, a factor analysis was employed for the forty-four questions listed on the survey. The results of the study indicated both achievement and attitude scores for women who received web-based instruction which utilized a teaching style that matched their learning style were higher when compared with the achievement and attitude for women who received instruction which did not match their learning style. The study also revealed a significantly lower attitude score for the Expert/Fonnal Authority (sensing) teaching style cluster when compared with other participants in the study and a variability in achievement and attitude within the Facilitator (feeling) teaching style cluster. Overall, the study indicated that students had superior achievement and a more positive attitude, when the teaching style matched her learning style. IV The significance of the study includes a heightened awareness of the impact of learning style on both achievement and attitude. In addition, the importance of sound course design that considers learning styles as a key design element is discussed, especially in light of the teaching style cluster that indicated a significantly lower attitude score from all women subjects within that teaching style cluster when compared to all other participants.

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