Relationships between Learning Styles and Science Process Skills of Students of the Gifted Class in Elementary School

초등과학영재학급 학생의 학습양식과 과학탐구능력 간의 상관관계

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between the learning styles and science process skills of students of the gifted class in elementary school. Subjects were forty-eight students of the gifted class who are in the fifth grade studying at the gifted class of S elementary school in Bucheon, M and Y elementary school in Incheon on learning styles and science process skills of students. Learning Style Profile (LSP) was used as instrument to survey learning style of students of the gifted class which was developed by NASSP, and consists of four categories (cognitive skills, perceptual response, orientation and teaming preferences) and twenty-four subscales. The results of this study were as follows: 1. In the learning styles test, students of the gifted class have higher scores of spatial skill, sequential processing skill, persistence orientation, manipulative preference, temperature preference and afternoon preference than general class students, but they have lower scores of discrimination skill and lighting preference, and there were statistically significant difference. 2. In science process skills test, there were statistically significant difference between students of the gifted class and general students. 3. In the correlation between the learning styles and science process skills, there was positive correlation of observing skill with spatial skill and manipulate skill of cognitive skill domain. For classifying skill, there was positive correlation with visual perceptual response, but was negative correlations with auditory and emotive perceptual response of perceptual response domain and with evening preference and verbal risk orientation of study preference domain. For measuring skill, there was positive correlation with sequential processing skill of cognitive skill domain. For formulating hypotheses, there was controlling variables, there was positive correlation with sequential processing skill and simultaneous processing skill of cognitive skill domain, and with verbal-spatial preference and early morning study preference of study preference domain. When planning and managing the gifted class, it will be beneficial and effective to consider the meaningful relations between the elements of loaming style and science process skills in order to improve science process skills.