Learning styles, instruction based on kolb's experiential learning theory, attitude and social studies achievement

This study tries to reveal the relation between primary school students? learning styles,their atttidudes toward Social Studies course and the Accessebility of the objectives in SocialStudies curriculum and examine the efficacy of Social Studies instruction based onexperential learning theory on students? attitudes and their retained level of Social Studies?goals.Both descriptive and experimental methods were employed in the study. Identifyingthe relation between 7th class students? learning styles, their attitudes toward Social Studiescourse and their accessebility of program aims in social studies course constitute thedescriptive part of the study. In this part of the study, correlational research was employed.The sample consists of total 612 primary school students who were selected by usingproportional stratified sampling method in 15 primary schools.Students? attitudes, Access level and its effect on retention, the efficacy of SocialStudies instruction based on Kolb?s experential learning theory on students attitudes, theiraccess and retention levels were identified. The research study was designed according to the?pretest and post test control -experimental groups model and it was carried out during falland spring terms in 2004-2005 instruction year. Experimental group (N=50) is choosen from19 Mayıs Primary School which is described in low socioeconomic level in Konak town,Izmir.The data was gathered from the following instruments: Kolb?s Learning StylesInventory III, Social Science Course Achievement Tests, Attitude Scale of Social StudiesCourse.In data analysis, arithmetic means, standard deviation, Chi-square, t-test, one-wayanalysis of variance, two- way analysis of variance, a two-factor analysis of variance, analysisof covariance, Scheffe ve Bonferroni tests were employed.In descriptive part, it was found that students? general preferences are assimilating, aone of four-stage cycles. Additionaly, it was observed that learning styles does not differaccording to gender and their retained level of Social Studies curriculum aims but theirlearning styles differ at knowledge and comprehension levels in total.In experimental part, it was recorded that experiential learning based social scienceinstruction affected students? achievements in a positive way and their achievements do notdiffer according to their styles but gender.In experimental part, it was recorded that social science instruction based onexperiential learning theory affected students? achievements in a positive way and theirachievements do not differ according to their styles but gender. Besides, free from gender andstyles, the instruction affected students? attitudes toward Social Studies course in a morefavourable way.