Which Factors Affect Learner Achievement? Analysing the Role of Psychological, Surface Level, Environmental and Learner Effort Variables

Abstract

The meshing hypothesis of learning styles suggests that matching teaching and learning styles can promote learning experience. In this research, learning styles (psychological variable), gender diversity (surface level variable), learning modes (environmental variable), and learning time (learner effort variable) were integrated in a model in order to explore their pedagogical impacts on learner performance. The investigated learning environments adopted the traditional teaching approach of ‘one-size-fits-all’. Variables of 59 undergraduate students were measured using the Index of Learning Styles (ILS), an academic record, and a log file of Moodle system. Based on the proposed model, the identified hypotheses were quantitatively analysed. Surface level, environmental, and learner effort variables showed to have a significant effect on learner performance. However, the meshing hypothesis could not be proven. This suggests that other variables are more likely to influence achievement than learning styles.