A STUDY ON THE CORRELATION BETWEEN LEARNING STYLES AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF B. ED DISTANCE LEARNERS

In order to prepare the country for the challenges of the twenty-first century, the New Education Policy [I986] reinterpreted education's role as an instrument for the development of the country's human resources. One of the many inventive solutions included in this new policy is distance learning. According to the New Education Policy, lifelong learning is a desired educational goal. Education and learning style are closely linked because the way individuals learn can greatly impact their educational experience. An individual's preferred method of obtaining and processing information is referred to as their learning style. There are several different theories and models of learning styles, but some of the most common include visual, auditory, logical and kinesthetic/tactile. Numerous initiatives to conduct learning style research have been made in the 19th century. According to numerous studies, every person has a unique learning style, and various learning styles can affect how students "perceive, recall, understand, and solve problems" (Messick, 1976). Teachers must offer material in a manner that suits students' preferences if students desire a greater say in how it is presented; otherwise, their efforts will be futile (Gregoric, 1985). Researchers tried to identify and isolate specific characteristics of the learners in an effort to characterise the distinctive processes of learning (Keefe, 1987; Messick, 1976). For the present research, only four types of learning styles have been taken into consideration that includes visual, auditory, kinesthetic and logical. The present study was done to know the correlation between learning styles and academic achievement of B.Ed. distance learners. The sample size for the present study was comprised of 300 B.Ed. distance learners from YCMOU and IGNOU. The Tools used for collecting the data were the Learning style scale and Academic Achievement Results of the Students. Data were analysed by using Pearson's Product Moment Correlation. A significant correlation between the learning styles of English and Marathi medium was found. It was also found that there was no effect of learning style on Academic Achievement of B.Ed. distance learners as per Gender, age, or with regards to type of school. Conceptual definition of learning style- The way a person naturally or habitually acquires and processes information in a learning environment is referred to as their learning style. The cognitive, emotive, and physiological aspects of a person's capacity for learning are included in their learning styles. (Bodi, 1990) Operational definition of learning style - Learning styles here would be a set of observable characteristics or behaviours that indicate how an individual prefers to learn. There can be various learning styles. Here four types of learners have been looked into that is Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic and Logical. Keywords: Learning style, Academic achievement, B.Ed. distance learners