Predictive Power of Cognitive Styles on Academic Performance of Students in Selected National Secondary Schools in Kenya

Abstract

This study which was informed by cognitive styles theories was a correlational study that examined the interactive effects of cognitive styles and their power to predict academic performance in Chemistry. Cognitive styles were measured on four dimensions: concrete-abstract, active-reflective, verbal-visual and sequential-global. The study explored how cognitive styles of students and teachers interacted to influence learner performance in Mock and in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Chemistry Examinations. The target population was all students in sixty schools elevated to National School status across Kenya's 47 Counties between 2011 and 2012. Six schools from three counties were randomly selected; from these, one class of Form Four students was randomly selected. 293 students, 6 teachers and 6 Academic Masters were sampled. Data was collected using a Cognitive Styles Inventory, interview guide for Academic Masters and marks record forms. From correlation tests, ANOVA and regression analysis the study revealed that: (i) Three schools had very high levels of student-teacher cognitive styles congruence while the other three had low levels of congruence (ii)Out of the four dimensions of cognitive styles, only the sequential-global dimension was a significant predictor of performance in KCSE Chemistry (iii)The study constructed a regression equation: y' = 0.904X 1 -0.525X 2 -0.583X 3 -0.23X 4 + 14.794. The equation significantly predicted 62.8% of variance in performance in KCSE Chemistry (y') based on four regressor varibales: performance in Mock (X 1 ), level of student-teacher cognitive styles match (X 2 ), level of learner on the sequential-global scale (X 3 ), and age of respondent (X 4 ).