Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1998 Relationships among student attitudes, motivation, learning styles, learning strategies, patterns of learning and achievement: a formative evaluation of distance education via Web-based courses Ching-Chun Shih Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at:https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of theCommunication Technology and New Media Commons,Curriculum and Instruction Commons,Higher Education and Teaching Commons,Instructional Media Design Commons, and theScience and Mathematics Education Commons Recommended Citation Shih, Ching-Chun, "Relationships among student attitudes, motivation, learning styles, learning strategies, patterns of learning and achievement: a formative evaluation of distance education via Web-based courses " (1998).Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 12525. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/12525 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. 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UMI A Bell & Howell Infbnnation Compact 300 North Zed) Road, Ann Aibor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Relationships among student attitudes, motivation, learning styles, learning strategies, patterns of learning, and achievement: A formative evaluation of distance education via Web-based courses by Ching-Chun Shih A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Agricultural Education (Agricultural Extension Education) Major Professor: Julia A. Gamon Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1998 Copyright © Ching-Chun Shih, 1998. All rights reserved UMI NTunber: 9911641 Copyright 1998 by Shih, Ch,ing-Ch\m All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9911641 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 II Graduate College Iowa State University This is to certify that the Doctoral dissertation of Ching-Chun Shih has met the dissertation requirements of Iowa State University Signature was redacted for privacy. Major Professor Signature was redacted for privacy. For the Major Pro^am Signature was redacted for privacy. For^^r College iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF HGURES v LIST OF TABLES vi ABSTRACT viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction 1 Need for Study 6 Statement of the Problem 7 Purpose and Objectives 7 Audience of the Study 8 Definition of Terms 8 Implications and Educational Significance 10 Summary 10 n. CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 12 Introduction 12 Attitudes 12 Learning Styles 14 Learning Strategies and Patterns of Learning 24 Motivation 34 Relationships Among Learning Styles, Learning Strategies, Motivation, and Student Achievement 41 Summary 44 m. CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 46 Introduction 46 Population and Sample for this Study 46 Instrumentation 47 Pilot Test 48 Data Collection 49 Data Analysis 51 Limitations 51 Assumptions 51 Summary 52 CHAPTER IV. FINDINGS 54 Introduction 54 Demographic Data by Learning Styles 55 iv Differences in Attitudes, Motivation, Learning Strategies, Patterns of Learning, and Achievement by Learning Styles 57 Relationships Among Student Attitudes, Motivation, Learning Styles, Learning Strategies, Patterns of Learning, Achievement, and Demographics 65 Prediction of Higher or Lower Achieving Students Based on Attitudes, Motivation, Learning Strategies, Patterns of Learning, Learning Styles, and Demographics 71 Summary 73 CHAPTER V. DISCUSSION 76 Introduction 76 Demographic Data in Relation to Learning Styles 76 Attitudes, Motivation, Learning Strategies, Patterns of Learning, Achievement, and Learning Styles 77 Relationships Among Student Attitudes, Motivation, Learning Styles, Learning Strategies, Patterns of Learning, Achievement, and Demographics 80 Prediction of Higher or Lower Achieving Students Based on Attitudes, Motivation, Learning Strategies, Patterns of Learning, Learning Styles, and Demographics 82 CHAPTER VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 84 Summary 84 Conclusions 90 Recommendations and Implications 90 APPENDIX A. HUMAN SUBJECT REVIEW COMMITTEE APPROVAL 94 APPENDIX B. LETTERS 96 APPENDIX C. ON-LINE QUESTIONNAIRE 102 REFERENCES CITED 113 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 122 V LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Simple cognitive model of information processing 27 Figure 2. A heuristic model of college students' motivation 37 Figure 3. Model of motivational learning 40 Figure 4. Curry's learning style taxonomy and contributions of learning styles to learning outcomes 42 Figure 5. Frequencies and percentages of respondents' standardized achievement scores (z-scores) 64 VI LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Review of Learning Style Inventories Based on Curry's Model 16 Table 2. Learning Style Instruments Classified by Aspects of Learning Styles 19 Table 3. Learning Style Instruments Used by Authors in Journal of Agricultural Education Articles (1992-1997) 21 Table 4. Learning Style Instruments Used in Agricultural Education Research as Classified by Curry's and Keefe's Models 22 Table 5. Characteristics and Behaviors Associated with the Field- Dependent and Field Independent Learning Styles 23 Table 6. Scales and Components of the LASSI and ReUabilities 29 Table 7. Scales and Components of MSLQ and Reliabilities 30 Table 8. Reliability Coefficients for Attitudes, Motivation, Learning Strategies, and Patterns of Learning Scales 49 Table 9. Description of Field-Dependent (FD) and Field-Independent (FI) Respondents by Class, Gender, Class Level, Student Type, and Access to Computers 56 Table 10. Description of Field-Dependent (FD) and Field-Independent (FI) Respondents by Selected Demographic Variables 56 Table 11. Means, Standard Deviations, and t-test of Respondents' Learning Style Scores by Gender 57 Table 12. Means, Standard Deviations, and t-test for Respondents' Attitudes by Field-Dependent (FD) or Field-Independent (FI) Learning Style (n = 74) 58 Table 13. Means, Standard Deviations, and t-test for Respondents' Motivation by Field-Dependent (FD) or Field-Independent (FI) Learning Style (n = 74) 59