This study investigated the differences in students' thinking and learning styles between gifted and average students.
The research questions of the study were as follows:
(1) Are there any differences in subscales of thinking styles between gifted...
This study investigated the differences in students' thinking and learning styles between gifted and average students.
The research questions of the study were as follows:
(1) Are there any differences in subscales of thinking styles between gifted and average students?
(2) Are there any differences in subscales of learning styles between gifted and average students?
(3) Is it possible that thinking styles predict learning style?
For this study, the subjects was consisted of 343 high school freshmen from a scientific technical high school, an international high school of foreign language, and an average high school. The subjects were divided into two groups. One was the gifted group, and the other was the average group. The gifted group consisted of students from the scientific technical high school, the international high school of foreign language, and the average high school. The average group consisted of students of only from the regular high school. Student were selected by intelligence test and teacher nomination.
The Thinking Style Questionnaire were based on Sternberg's theory of mental self-government and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory. The Thinking Style Questionnaire consisted of thirteen subscales: legislative, executive, judicial, global, local, liberal, conservative, monarchic, hierarchic, oligarchic, anarchic, internal, and external thinking styles. The subjects responded to sixty-five items using the seven-point Likert-type scale. The Learning Styles Inventory consisted of four subordinate levels: diverger, accomodator, converger, and assimilation. The subjects responded to thirty-six items using a four-point Likert-type scale.
A t-test and ANOVA were used to investigate the first and second question. For the third question, correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used.
The results of this study were as follows:
First, There were differerences in six of the thinking style subscales-judicial, global, hierarchic, oligarchic, liberal, internal thinking style-between gifted and average students school quality, sex, and interaction between school quality and sex. There were especially significant differences in four subscales of thinking styles-global, hierarchic, oligarchic, internal-between gifted and average students by school quality only.
Consequently, Hypothesis 1 was supported.
Second, there were differerences in all subscales of learning styles-diverger, accommodator, converger, and assimilation-between gifted and average students by school quality, sex, and interaction between school quality and sex. Consequently, Hypothesis 2 was also supported.
Third, Some kinds of thinking style subscales were significantly correlated with the learning style subscales. Another result showed that some kinds of thinking style subscales could be significant predictors of learning styles. Consequently, Hypothesis 3 was supported.