Title of Thesis

The Effects of Learning Styles and Socio-Economic Status on Learning Achievement of Secondary School Students.

Author(s)

Zarina Akhtar

Abstract
The objectives of the study were to investigate the relationship between different learning styles and learning achievements, socio-economic status of students and their learning achievement and learning styles and Socio-economic status of students studying at secondary schools.Study also assessed the difference in opinion by gender and by region about learning styles.
To investigate the relationship three types of data were collected. Firstly information about students learning styles were collected by using learning style questionnaire, secondly information about socio-economic status of parents were collected through the questionnaire and thirdly information about students’ achievement was taken from their Secondary School Certificate Examination.
The population of the study was all students studying in class 10th at public sector schools of district Attock, Chakwal, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The sample (1580 students and their parents) was drawn by using multistage sampling technique from four districts. The data were collected by administering the questionnaires to students in their classes.The data were then analyzed by SPSS using Pearson Co-relation. Gender wise and region wise differences in opinion were also computed by t-test.
It was found that A+ grade achievers did not preferred collaborative learning style and A grade achievers did not preferred dependent learning style. None of the students from upper and lower class got A+ grade.The more students who got A+ grade were from the upper middle class and lower middle class. The middle class students prefer independent learning style.The female students prefer dependent learning style in spite of region (rural and urban).No difference in opinion by region was observed.
Students did not preferred collaborative and dependent learning style. They preferred to study at their own this leads that the class room activities were of no use for them. Their concern for the achievement showed their interest for examination.This showed that learning styles may not effect learning achievement but the system of examination effects the achievement.In the light of conclusions it was recommended that the system of examination may be connected with class room activities. It may focus on real classroom learning not to rote memorization.

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1.1 Rationale of the study
1.2 What Learning Styles are
1.3 Learning Styles by gender
1.4 Diversity within Learning Styles
1.5 How Socio-economic Status be perceived
1.6 Diversity in Socio-economic Status
1.7 Learning achievement
1.8 Relationship between Learning Styles and Learning Achievement
1.9 Relationship between Socio-economic Status and Learning Achievement
1.10 Relationship of Socio-economic Status and Learning Styles
1.11 Statement of the problem
1.12 Objectives of the study
1.13 Research Questions of the study
1.14 Significance of the study
1.15 Delimitation of the study
1.16 Conceptual Framework

2.1 Piaget’s Theory for Cognitive development
2.2 Vygotsky Socio-cultural perspective of cognitive development
2.3 Bruner’s Theory of discovery Learning
2.4 What is learning
2.5 Learning theories
2.6 Definition of Learning Styles
2.7 General Concepts of Learning Style
2.8 Difference between cognitive style and learning style
2.9 Theories of learning styles
2.10 Learning style Models
2.11 Comparison of Eleven Major Learning Styles Models
2.12 Assessment of Learning Styles
2.13 Teaching Styles
2.14 Anthony F. Grasha the Author of the learning style questionnaire
2.15 The original questionnaire of Grassha & Riechmann
2.16 General Concept of achievement
2.17 Institutions Responsible for measuring Learning Achievement
2.18 The process of standardization of Instruments adopted by BISE’s
2.19 Factors affecting the learning achievement
2.20 Learning Style and Achievement
2.21 Social Differentiation and Social stratification; Status and Class
2.22 Social class theories
2.23 The measurement of class position in open class societies
2.24 Determinants of the social class
2.25 Class structures in various societies
2.26 Social Class and Achievement
2.27 Effects of Social Class on Education
2.28 Demographic variables of sampled districts
2.29 Formation of status class for current study
2.30 Related researches
2.31 Summary of the whole discussion

3.1 Research Design and Methodology
3.2 Demographic variables of sampled districts
3.3 Population
3.4 Sampling design
3.5 Instruments
3.6 Validity and Reliability of Instruments
3.7 Socio-economic status Questionnaire Codes
3.8 Data Collection
3.9 Data Analysis
3.10 Limitations

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4.1 Formation of Status class
4.2 Socio-economic status groups
4.3 Academic Achievement grade
4.4 Relationship of learning styles and learning achievement
4.5 Relationship of Socio-economic status and learning achievement
4.6 Relationship of Socio-economic status and learning styles
4.7 Difference in opinion about learning styles by gender
4.8 Difference in opinion about learning styles by region
4.9 difference in opinion about learning styles of rural students by gender
4.10 difference in opinion about learning styles of urban students by gender

5

5.1 Summary
5.2 Findings
5.3 Conclusions
5.4 Discussion
5.5 Recommendations
5.6 Replications

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