Cognitive Diversity in Classrooms: An Analytical Study of Learning Styles among Secondary School Students

This study investigates the cognitive diversity of secondary school students through an analysis of their dominant learning styles and the implications for classroom instruction. Recognizing that students differ in how they perceive, process, and retain information, the study explores the relationship between learning styles and academic performance, gender, and attitude toward technology-based learning environments. The objective is to understand how awareness of learning styles can inform differentiated instruction and improve educational outcomes.

A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data. The sample comprised 300 secondary school students (150 boys and 150 girls) from six schools across Bhopal district. The standardized Learning Style Inventory (LSI) by Kolb (1984) was administered, along with an Attitude towards ICT Scale developed for the study. Statistical techniques such as descriptive statistics, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analysis were applied to examine relationships between variables.

Findings revealed that visual and kinesthetic learning styles were predominant among students, while auditory learning was less preferred. A significant gender difference was found, with girls favoring visual and auditory styles, and boys showing stronger kinesthetic tendencies. Positive correlations were observed between technology attitude scores and preference for multimodal learning environments. The regression model indicated that learning style explained 42% of the variance in academic performance. The study concludes that recognizing cognitive diversity and aligning instructional strategies with students’ preferred learning modalities can significantly enhance engagement and achievement.