Effects of individualized plans independent of, and supplemented by, learning-style profiles on the mathematics achievement and attitudes of special education students in grades three through six

This investigation analyzed the effects of Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) independent of, and supplemented by, Learning-Style (LS) profiles on the mathematics achievement and attitudes of Special Education students in grades three, four, five and six. Participants in the study were identified by Learning Style Inventory (Dunn, Dunn & Price, 1986) and Learning Style Inventory: Primary Version (Perrin, 1990) dependent on grade level.; A counterbalanced design was used in which 56 students initially received a LS responsive tactual and kinesthetic geometry lesson followed by a Traditional lesson on fractions. The other one-half of the population initially received a Traditional geometry lesson followed by a LS responsive tactual and kinesthetic lesson on fractions. Significant differences in achievement (p < .001) was found between the scores of students who received the LS strategies as compared with those who received the Traditional lessons. In addition, significant increase in attitude (p < .001) favoring LS responsive strategies over Traditional lessons was found. Traditional Teaching of Goals and Objectives on; IEPs, independent of LS profiles, did not result in a significant increase in achievement or attitudes. Teaching the goals and objectives on IEPs supplemented by LS profiles resulted in significant increases in both achievement (ES 1.418 for fractions; 1.572 for geometry) and attitudes (ES 1.818).