The Relationship Between Learning Styles And Levels Of Cognition Of Instruction Of Horticulture Teachers

Abstract

The flexibility for learners to learn begins with the teacher's style of learning and the levels of cognition utilized in the classroom. Teachers have the basic capability to learn and teach; however, they are not all able to learn and teach effectively in the same exact way. The current study sought to determine the learning style and cognitive level of instruction of central Ohio horticulture teachers. The Florida Taxonomy of Cognitive Behaviors (FTCB) and the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) were used to assess the level of cognitive instruction (FTCB) and the learning style (GEFT). The results indicated that 44% of the teachers preferred the field dependent learning style and 56% preferred the field-independent learning style. Furthermore, 84% of the teaching occurred at the lower levels of cognition. The mean weighted cognitive score for the teachers was 23.03. The mean weighted score reflected a cognitive level of teaching concentrated near the cognitive level of translation. A moderate positive (r= .32) relationship was found between learning style and the weighted cognitive level of instruction. Correlation coefficients between GEFT scores and the seven levels of cognition ranged from a substantial negative association (r= -.53) to a moderate positive association (r= .41).