The mediating role of learning styles and strategies in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance

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dc.contributor.advisor Maree, David J.F. en
dc.contributor.postgraduate Robertson, Claire Michael en
dc.date.accessioned 2013-09-07T18:10:03Z
dc.date.available 2013-01-11 en
dc.date.available 2013-09-07T18:10:03Z
dc.date.created 2012-09-06 en
dc.date.issued 2013-01-11 en
dc.date.submitted 2012-12-06 en
dc.description Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. en
dc.description.abstract Cognitive ability has a strong and important relationship with academic performance. Numerous factors, however, affect a student’s performance, including among others; learning style, or the way in which students typically receive and process information, and learning strategies, or the level at which students approach learning and studying. Current studies are, however, divided in their findings regarding the relationship between learning styles and strategies and academic performance as well as the mediatory role they may play. The study sought to investigate the role of students’ learning styles and strategies in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance, in order to advance an understanding of the role that they play in this relationship. The study was conducted using a correlational research design within a cognitive psychology framework. Using convenience sampling, a total of 172 university students completed cognitive tests (Raven's Progressive Matrices and the Letter-N-Back) and a learning style and strategy survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM), specifically path analysis in combination with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), was then used to test relationships between constructs. Results from the first model suggest that higher cognitive abilities and the use of rehearsal (the surface learning strategy) each play a unique role in predicting academic performance (÷2 (67, N = 172) = 145.31, p < .001). It, in additio, seems as if various components of learning style and strategy do not predict academic performance at all. A refined model of the relationship between constructs confirmed this (÷2 (64, N = 172) = 70.51, p < .05). Learning styles along with the deep and metacognitive learning strategies were found to have no meaningful relation with academic performance. Cognitive abilities and rehearsal however were key predictors of performance. Mediation analysis further identified rehearsal as a mediator in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance (÷2 (65, N = 172) = 74.10, p >.05). Results show that cognitive ability indirectly affects academic performance through the surface learning strategy rehearsal). Copyright en
dc.description.availability unrestricted en
dc.description.department Psychology en
dc.identifier.citation Robertson, CM 2012, The mediating role of learning styles and strategies in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance, MA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/30164 > en
dc.identifier.other F12/9/324/gm en
dc.identifier.upetdurl http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-12062012-122140/ en
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/30164
dc.language.iso en
dc.publisher University of Pretoria en_ZA
dc.rights © 2012, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria en
dc.subject Academic performance en
dc.subject Executive function en
dc.subject Cognitive ability en
dc.subject Approaches to learning en
dc.subject Structural equation modelling (SEM) en
dc.subject Mediation en
dc.subject Path analysis en
dc.subject Academic achievement en
dc.subject Learning strategy en
dc.subject Learning style en
dc.subject Learning en
dc.subject UCTD en_US
dc.title The mediating role of learning styles and strategies in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance en
dc.type Dissertation en


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