Cognitive Ability, Learning Styles and Academic Performance Of the Freshmen Students

This research was conceptualized to investigate whether cognitive ability, learning style and academic performance relates with each other. The study made used of the descriptive-quantitative research design. The participants of the study were the first-year college students who are currently enrolled in the programs of the School of Information Technology and Engineering of St. Paul University Philippines. The Otis-Lennon School Ability (OLSAT) Test 8th ed. which was developed by Arthur Sinton Otis and Roger Thomas Lennon in 2003 was used to measure the cognitive ability of the participants. The Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) that was developed by Albert A. Canfield and published in 1988 was used to identify the learning styles of the participants. The grade point average of the participants during the first semester of Academic Year 2019 – 2020 was used for the academic performance. The statistical treatments that were used to analyze the data gathered include Frequency and Percentage distribution and the Chi-square test. Results revealed that course can contribute to the variation in the learning style of the participants. Also, course, sex, and age are viable factors that contribute to the significant difference in students' academic performance. However, participants' Cognitive Ability and Learning Styles are not predictive of Academic Performance, as well as Cognitive Ability and Learning Styles are not significantly related with each other.