Preferred Learning Styles for Slow Learning Students at Kuwaiti Middle Schools (A Descriptive Comparative Study Investigating some Demographic Variables)

Abstract

The aimed to investigate the best learning style for students at middle school who study have a learning disability (LD), and finding the differences in learning style by investigating several variables such as gender, school academic level, and types of learning (full, Integratedly –partial Integrated). The sample of study consists of 259 students from both genders in 6th through 9th grades divided into two gender groups, 171 (66%) male students, and 88 (34%) female students. For integration, the number of students in fully integrated system was 122 (47.1%) and the number of students in partially integrated system was 137 (52.9%) from both genders. The researcher used Memletics Learning Styles survey after translating it into Arabic language and standardizing it in a Kuwaiti sample to extract valid and reliable criterion for the survey. The result of the study showed that the best learning style for students with learning disabilities (LD) can be arranged sequentially as follows: verbally, individually, logically, physically, visually, audibly, and social learning style. The results also showed no significant differences between males and females in learning styles. However significant differences in males rather than females in audible learning style were found. For school academic levels (6th – 9th grade), the researcher found significant differences in learning styles for classes in higher academic levels compared to classes in lower academic levels. For types of learning (full Integration – partial Integration), the researcher found only one significant difference in the seven variables of learning styles mentioned above, which is social learning style in full inclusion learning types.