Learning Styles as Correlates of Academic Achievement among Form Two Students in Kgalagadi Region, Botswana

Abstract

Purpose: For more than a decade, junior secondary schools in the Kgalagadi region of Botswana have recorded persistently poor academic achievement, raising concerns about the instructional and systemic factors influencing learner outcomes. Despite ongoing national reforms, little empirical work has examined how learner characteristics, particularly learning styles relate to performance in this rural context. This study investigated the relationship between Kolb’s learning styles and academic achievement among Form Two students in Kgalagadi region, Botswana. The study aimed to determine whether a significant relationship exists between learning styles and academic achievement, with the broader goal of informing contextually responsive teaching and assessment practices in rural junior secondary schools.

Methodology: A quantitative correlational research design was employed. Using a multistage sampling approach, 309 Form Two students were selected from a population of 1,359 across five public junior secondary schools. Proportional sampling ensured adequate representation from schools of varying sizes. Data on learning styles were collected using Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory, administered in supervised group sessions, while academic achievement scores were extracted from official end-of-year examination records. Data analysis, conducted in SPSS, comprised descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and cross-tabulations) and inferential tests, including chi-square analysis and one-way ANOVA at a 0.05 significance level.

Findings: The assimilating learning style was most prevalent (47.6%), followed by converging (24.6%), accommodating (15.5%), mixed (7.1%), and diverging (5.2%). Achievement levels were generally low, with 40.5% scoring grade D and 19.1% ungraded (U), while only 2.3% attained grade A and 0.3% Merit. Although assimilating and converging learners appeared overrepresented in higher-grade categories, one-way ANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences in mean achievement across learning styles, F(4, 304) = 0.94, p = 0.4385, with learning styles accounting for only 1.2% of the variance.

Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Theoretically, the study extends Experiential Learning Theory into a rural African junior secondary context, demonstrating that learning styles, while identifiable, have limited predictive power for achievement. Practically, the findings highlight the need for differentiated, learner-centred instruction that integrates reflective, analytical, and experiential activities. Policy recommendations include embedding learning-style awareness in teacher training, diversifying assessment methods, and promoting equity-focused reforms to support learners in resource-constrained rural settings.