Cognitive preferences and academic achievement in students of science

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to identify the cognitive preferences of secondary school science students and its relationship with academic achievement. For this purpose a ‘Cognitive Preference Test’ and an ‘Achievement Test in Science’ were developed and administered to 500 eleventh grade science students subsequent to their study of tenth grade science subject. The finding suggests that secondary school science students have a strong bias for ‘Principle’ and that their general order of preference is ‘Principle-Recall-Application-Questioning’. A strong dependence of cognitive preference orientation on ‘Academic Achievement’ in science was observed. High achiever group of students were found to exhibit a high preference for ‘Questioning’ and a strong discontentment for ‘Recall’ mode. Exactly an opposite trend of preferences among low achiever group has been reported, as having highest preference for ‘Recall’ and lowest preference for ‘Questioning’ mode.