Relationship Between Collaborative Learning, Competitive Learning Styles and School Adjustment among Secondary School Students in South East States

The study investigated relationship between learning styles and secondary school students’ adjustments in Southeast States of Nigeria. Two research questions were raised to guide the study and two corresponding hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed a correlational survey design. The population of the study consisted of 78, 653 senior secondary school II students (SS2) from which a sample of the 1,300 students was selected using appropriate sample techniques. Two instruments were utilized for data collection - the Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ) and Secondary School Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ). The instruments were validated by three experts - one from Measurement and Evaluation Unit and two from Guidance and Counselling Unit, all from the Department of Psychological Foundations, Uturu, just as reliability coefficient values of 0.88 and 0.89 were obtained using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The research questions and hypotheses were equally answered and tested respectively using Linear regression. The findings revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between collaborative and competitive learning styles and school adjustment among the students. Based on these findings, it was concluded that collaborative and competitive learning styles are very helpful in students’ level of school adjustment. The study therefore recommended that teachers, educationist and Ministry of Education should prioritize the creation of supportive learning environment, effective instructional strategies and guidance services to enhance students’ school adjustment, rather than focusing solely on learning style preferences.

Collaborative Learning, Competitive Learning, Learning Style and School Adjustment.

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