Effect of Cognitive Style and Gender on JSS Students’ Academic Achievement in Social Studies

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of cognitive style and gender on student’s academic achievement in social studies. It was designed to obtain empirical evidence of effects of cognitive style and gender as well as the interaction effects of cognitive style on student’s academic achievement in social studies. The subjects of the study consist of 192 junior secondary school students of 87 boys and 105 girls. They were selected from four secondary schools to make up the sample for the study. The study adopted a 2x2 pre-test post-test non randomized intact group. It is a quasi experimental design. The data were analysis using the simple percentage and the hypothesis was determined with the use of ANCOVA statistics at 0.05 level of significance the following were the results findings: • There is a significant main effect of cognitive style in student’s academic achievement in social studies. Field Independent students performed significantly better than field Dependent social studies student. Cognitive style accounted for 15.2% of the total variation in the post-test scores. • There was no significant main effect of gender on students academic achievement in social studies • There was no significant interaction effect of cognitive style and gender on student’s academic achievement in social studies. The educational implication of this study revealed that students varied in the way they perceived and process information therefore the teacher has to take into consideration student’s cognitive styles so as to present learning materials that will enhance student performance. The lack of gender differential in student’s academic achievement in social studies implies that the teacher should present social studies learning materials in a way that will blemish the feelings that the subject is for a particular gender.

LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research, 8(1), 35-47, 2011