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Educational Style Impact on Student
Academical Achievements
Article in Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences · April 2015
DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.360
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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 127 – 131
Global Conference on Contemporary Issues in Education, GLOBE-EDU 2014, 12-14 July 2014,
Las Vegas, USA
Educational Style Impact on Student Academical Achievements
Oana Alina Bota a *, Cristian Petre b,
a
PhD Lecturer, University Transilvania of Brasov, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Eroilor St No 29, 500036, Brasov,
Romania
b
PhD Lecturer , University Ovidius of Constanta, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Mamaia St No 124, 900527, Constanta,
Romania
Abstract
Regarding the intentions stated in numerous pedagogical speeches namely those in adjusting and optimization of the teaching
process from its multiple perspectives, this study aims a punctual investigation within the issues of the educational style. In this
context, the central concept is operationalized in terms of four structural elements: teaching style, learning style, assessment and
management style of educational activities, intending to reveal a conditionality between theese and the academic preparation of
students. Investigative dimension design is controlled to verify the following hypothesis: identifying a statistically significant
correlation between the educational style exhibited by teachers and the students academical achievments.
©2015
2014The
TheAuthors.
Authors.
Published
Elsevier
©
Published
by by
Elsevier
Ltd.Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of GLOBE-EDU 2014.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of GLOBE-EDU 2014.
Keywords: educational style, teaching style, learning style, assessment style, management style
1. Introduction
The operationalization of the concept of educational style is a very complex process which involves finding
answers to questions such as: What the educational style is in fact?, What are the criteria for classification?, What
are the stylistic elements that compose it?, How to identify and measure the teacher’s educational style?, Which are
the valuable educational styles?, (Jinga, Vlăsceanu 1989), a series of reflections that contribute to establish a
framework to ensure greater efficiency to teaching. This approach involves two stages. On the one hand, defining
the educational style - with an emphasis on the characteristics and its impact in the interaction of factors that
influence the teaching and secondly to identify its contents, processes and actions through which it express itself. In
* Oana Alina Bota. Tel.: +40-724-615-670
E-mail address: oana.bota@unitbv.ro
1877-0428 © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of GLOBE-EDU 2014.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.360
128
Oana Alina Bota and Cristian Petre / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 127 – 131
this respect, the scope of exploration criteria’s for educational style is very generous. In the literature, educational
style means the teacher behavior in class, type or nature of educational relations, an amount of personality traits that
translate into a philosophy of life and of education and beliefs of the teacher. In depth, the concept reveals a quality
of an individual, pervasive, persistent, subject to change in terms of its content (Conti, 1985); a teacher's behavior
manifested in formal, non-formal and informal (Ștefan, 2006); a systemic construction of behaviors and attitudes
that ensure through its consistency and functionality, the training of students understood as the formation of their
personality, intellectual capacity, training behaviors and perceptions, desirable behaviors related to the aims of
education (Radu, 1986); a teacher-specific made teaching (Sălăvăstru, 2004); an amount of driving factors ensuring
success of a complex system represented by the teaching - learning process (Artvinli, 2010, as cited in Dinçol,
2011); stable and consistent behaviors of teachers, manifested in the context of their interactions with students
during the educational process (Grasha, 2002). Numerous empirical studies have allowed the identification of
educational styles, in terms of determinants, of the factors involved and the criteria for classification and
highlighting attributes that ensure their efficiency and productivity in the context of didactic activities (Conti, 1985;
Opdenakker & Van Damme, 2006; May sheep & Stimpson, 1994, as cited in Evans, 2008; Jarvis, 1985; Brophy &
Good, 1974). There is also clear evidence that the educational style, focusing on teaching style, help interpret
influences, not only instructively, that the teachers generate on academic results achieved by students (Aitkin &
Zuzovsky, 1994, Ebmeier & Good , 1979, as cited in Khandaghi & Farasat, 2011). In this study, the educational
style is operationalized in terms of four structural elements: teaching style, learning style, assessment style and
management style of teaching, directly related to the academic achievement of students. Comprehensive analysis of
educational style manifested by the teachers during teaching activities, has many advantages: on the one hand allows
highlighting actions, operations, procedures and techniques, attitudes adopted by the teacher in the development of
teaching, and also putting these variables correlated with results. On the other hand, illustrate the role that
educational style has in ensuring the success / effectiveness of the opportunity to outline the characteristics of an
effective style prototype (corresponding teacher who achieve good results).
2. Objective and research question
The main objective of the study is to determine the relation between these educational styles exhibited by teachers
and pupils results in school. In this respect, it aims to identify the impact of the four structural elements of
educational style, covered in this study, on the level of education of the students.
3. Method
3.1. Procedure
For starters, we have identified learning styles of teachers enrolled in research, with reference to the style of
teaching, of learning, assessment and management of the educational process. To make the connection between
educational styles of teachers and the level of training of students, we have collected data on educational outcomes
achieved by students.
3.2. Participants
The sample consisted of 285 teachers from Romanian pre-university education, namely high school level, out of
which 96 male teachers and 189 female teachers. Student sample consists of 370 subjects divided in 169 male and
201 female from pre-university education, high school level .
3.3. Measures
Determination of teacher’s educational styles involved identifying the four structural elements thereof. Thus, to
identify teaching style was used Teaching Style Inventory elaborated by CORD 2005. This model helps to identify
the teaching style in terms of two dimensions: goal and teaching method. Regarding the teaching goal, it is divided
into two overtones: learning which is seen as being on the rote to understanding the continuum, and concept
Oana Alina Bota and Cristian Petre / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 127 – 131
representation which is being seen on the abstract to applied continuum. The second dimension of teaching style,
teaching method is divided into cognitive processing which can be enactive or symbolic, and interaction which can
be individualized or group work. After analyzing the data obtained through the questionnaires, for each dimension
separately we can identify teaching styles. For the first dimension – teaching goal, the styles are: A - rote & abstract;
B - applied & rote; C - understanding & abstract; D - understanding & applied. For the second dimension - teaching
method, the setup of styles is: A – symbolic & individual; B – symbolic & cooperative; C – enactive & individual; D
– enactive & cooperative. Finally, the teaching style is dictated by combining results from two dimensions. Kolb’s
self-report Learning Style Inventory (adapted by Lussier, 1990) was used in order to assess participants’ learning
styles, thus determining the four styles: assimilator, accommodator, convergent and divergent. Evaluation or
assessment style was determined using a questionnaire developed for this study, showing mainly traditional and
modern aspects of evaluation. Leadership style was induced with Robert Blake Managerial Grid - Jane Mouton
(with appropriate adaptations), which allowed identification of leadership styles focused on the task or person.
Educational outcomes of students were collected using specific school documents.
4. Results
4.1. Teaching style
The figure below presents the situation of teaching styles in relation to the two dimensions of it. For each pair,
the first letter represents teaching goal and the second, teaching method.
Figure 1. Distribution of teaching styles
Notice that for our group of subjects is dominant DD style (understanding-applied & enactive-cooperative style)
with a percentage of 21.4%. The second most preferred style is style CC (understanding-abstract & enactiveindividual; 14.73%) and DC (enactive-understanding & individually-applied, 11.22%).
4.2. Learning style, assessment style and management style
After analyzing the data obtained, they highlighted the following styles:
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Oana Alina Bota and Cristian Petre / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 127 – 131
Table 1. Distribution of learning, assessment and management styles
Style
Learning style
Assessment style
Management style
Style dimensions
Assimilator
Accommodator
Convergent
Divergent
Dominant traditional
Dominant modern
Focused on person
Focused on task
Frequencies
84
32
136
33
169
116
111
174
4.3. Significant differences for academic achievements related to different indicators of research
In the present study, we started from the assumption that there is a significant correlation between educational
style exhibited by teachers and academic achievement of students. In the following, we present only data that, after
statistical processing, reveals significant differences in relation to pupils' educational achievements. Regarding the
teaching style, we present results from two dimensions of style (teaching goal and teaching method).
Table 2. Post-hoc comparisons on achievement scores
(I)
Teaching goal
(J)
Teaching goal
Style D
Style A
Style B
Style C
Mean Difference (MD) (I-J)
Academic achievements
(Games Howell)
0,78*
0,82*
0,70*
*significant at p < .05
To identify significant differences in school results in relation to teaching goal, we performed a comparative
analysis using ANOVA analysis technique. Test value F (3, 281) is 26.26, p <0.01, thus showing highly significant
value. The data presented in Table 2 show that teachers who show style D (understanding-applied) in relation to
teaching show highest efficacy in teaching process in agreement with the results obtained by pupils. In essence,
teachers who emphasize in teaching on understanding information by the students, on the design of learning
situations in applications, specifically, influence in a positive aspect obtaining high school results. Learning, in this
case, is active and explorative, dynamic and systematic, conscious and voluntary.
Table 3. Post-hoc comparisons on achievement scores
(I)
Teaching method
Style A
Style B
Style C
Style D
(J)
Teaching
method
Style B
Style C
Style D
Style A
Style C
Style D
Style A
Style B
Style D
Style A
Style B
Style C
Mean Difference (MD) (I-J)
Academic achievements
(Games Howell)
-0,49*
-0,43*
-0,95*
0,49*
0,05
-0,45*
0,43*
-0,05
-0,51*
0,95*
0,45*
0,51*
*significant at p < .05
From the data above, we see that in relation to teaching method, the most efficient and productive style is D for
obtaining higher academic results. Productivity and effectiveness of this style translate into the fact that the teacher
facilitates numerous occasions of learning through cooperation in practical activities. Cooperative learning in groups
is an instructional procedure whereby students through sustained efforts, work to achieve common goals. One can
Oana Alina Bota and Cristian Petre / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 127 – 131
observe that C and B styles prove their efficiency to style A in terms of quality academic preparation of students.
Regarding the learning styles of teachers, no significant differences were found in the results obtained by students.
This is because each learning style is represented both among teachers and among students. Heterogeneity of
learning styles to teachers and students is not able to determine significant differences in academic achievement of
students.
Table 4. Post-hoc comparisons on achievement scores
Variable
Academic achievements
Group/ Assessment
Style
Dominant traditional
Dominant modern
Mean
Standard deviation
Value of t test
7.73
8.00
0.80
0.79
-2,86
*significant at p < .05
The data in the table indicates that there are significant differences at the level of academical outcomes in relation to
evaluation style. We can see that the dominant modern evaluation style shows a significantly higher compared to the
traditional (t = -2.86, p <0.05). These results provide important and relevant information about the relationship
between assessment and educational outcomes, in the sense that a modern assessment style determines
foreshadowing higher school results.
In terms of management style, for this study, regardless of the leadership style of teachers, it does not significantly
influence educational outcomes achieved by students.
5. Discussion and conclusion
Our study intended to highlight the relationship between educational style exhibited by teachers and the level of
training of students. The results obtained through statistical processing, largely confirm the working hypothesis.
Demonstrated by reference to teaching goal and teaching method that the styles D (understanding-applied; enactive cooperative) are the most productive in order to obtain higher academic results. Emphasis is placed on active
learning, the applied nature of knowledge, the work or cooperative learning; support the effectiveness of these
styles. Also, an evaluation style using modern methodology of evaluation determines a high level of student
training. The activity in class is very complex and dynamic, teachers work, endeavour to meet diverse and real
student’s needs. In achieving this goal it is imperative that each teacher to realize his educational style and reflect on
ways to adapt / improve it of the various elements that compose it.
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