UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ CEREBRAL DOMINANCE AND LEARNING STYLES: THE MEDIATION OF CHRONOTYPES

Abstract

Learning styles, cerebral dominance and chronotypes are among the factors that have been determined to be effective on individuals’ learning. It is stated in the literature that these three variables are interrelated or affect each other. Therefore, the aim of the study is to determine the extent to which students’ cerebral dominance predicts their learning styles and whether chronotypes have an effect on this level of prediction as a moderating variable. In the research, the “Morningness-Eveningness Stability Scale improved” (MESSI), the “Kolb Learning Style Inventory” (KLSI) and the “Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument” (HBDI) were used as data collection tools. The selection of upper-secondary schools included in the sample was made in a district of Antalya province with the convenience sampling method. The sample of 593 students who agreed to respond to the scale was formed from 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students studying at these upper-secondary schools in the 2021-2022 academic year. According to the analysis results of the structural equation model (SEM) obtained in the study, it was concluded that there were significant positive correlations between learning styles and the sub-dimensions of cerebral dominance; however, chronotypes did not significantly mediate the determined correlations. The findings of this study may provide implications for determining learning styles, which have proven effects on student performance in the teaching-learning process, and, by establishing relationships between individuals’ brain structures and chronotypes, the characteristics that direct learning preferences. Keywords: cerebral dominance, chronotypes, learning styles, structural equation model, upper-secondary school