Learning Styles Preferences of Male and Female Sandwich Students of the Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.

The importance of learning style to effective teaching and learning cannot be overemphasized, especially where studies have revealed that a match between teaching and learning styles greatly assists in motivating students’ process of learning. It is also noted that several factors affect the learning styles of students. This study therefore investigated the influence of gender on learning style preference and perception of factors affecting learning styles of 2013/2014 final year post-diploma sandwich students of the Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Ghana. The descriptive (quantitative) survey design was used in conducting the study. Questionnaires were distributed to all 476 students because they were purposively sampled for the study. Four hundred and forty-six (94.5%) usable questionnaires were used for the analysis. It was found out that the relative most preferred learning style of the students was a combination of auditory and visual learning styles. However, relatively more of the male students preferred a combination of auditory and visual learning styles while relatively more of the female students opted for a combination of visual and kinesthetic learning styles. Another finding was that teacher and learner factors greatly influenced the learning style of the students. The study also revealed that gender was not a determinant of the students’ perception of physical and environmental factors; personal factors; and teacher and learning factors that affect their learning styles. As a result, it is recommended that lecturers of the Department should, among other things, ensure that they identify the learning styles of male and female students in order to structure their teaching to suit the learning needs of the students.