Influence of Reading and Writing and Kinesthetic Learning Styles on Academic Achievement of Senior Secondary Students in FCT, Abuja

Abstract

The study examined the influence of Neil Fleming’s VARK learning styles on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria. Specifically, it focused on how students' preferences for reading/writing and kinesthetic learning styles affected their academic Achievement. The study adopted a descriptive survey design, with a population of 24,771 Senior Secondary School 2 (SSS2) students in public schools across Abuja. A sample of 377 students was selected using multistage sampling based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) sampling table. Data were collected using the VARK Questionnaire (TVQ), English Mock Examination (EME), and Mathematics Mock Examination (MME). The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and t-tests to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that both reading/writing and kinesthetic learning styles significantly influenced academic achievement. It was recommended that educators incorporate reading/writing strategies and kinesthetic activities to enhance students' academic outcomes. Furthermore, learning materials such as graphics and interactive art tools should be designed to cater to students’ diverse learning preferences.