LEARNING STYLES AND MATHEMATICAL DISPOSITIONS AS PREDICTORS OF THE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study is to determine whether learning styles and mathematical dispositions predict students critical thinking skills. This study employed a descriptive and correlational research approach. Using stratified random sampling, 271 grade 10 students were selected as respondents from six public secondary schools in Kapalong East District, Davao del Norte Division during the school year 2022-2023. Furthermore, this study employed two adapted survey questionnaires and one researcher-made questionnaire, all of which were validated to collect data and treated using mean, standard deviation, Spearmans Rank Correlation Coefficient, and regression analysis. The findings showed that the learning styles among the students are high, their mathematical dispositions are moderate, and their critical thinking skills are low. The findings also revealed that learning styles has a positive significant relationship and influence on students critical thinking skills in mathematics. However, students mathematical dispositions have an inverse relationship and influence to their critical thinking skills in mathematics. These findings underscore the importance of nurturing critical thinking skills among students. It is recommended that teachers and DepEd officials collaborate to create interventions aimed at enhancing students critical thinking skills. Furthermore, replication studies across diverse contexts are advised to validate the longevity of these relationships and further advance our comprehension of the subject matter. KEYWORDS: Learning styles, mathematical dispositions, critical thinking skills, grade 10 students, descriptive-correlational approach, regression analysis, Kapalong East District, Davao del Norte.