The Learning Styles and Preferred Learning Modalities of Freshman Students in the New Normal: Their Impact on the Academic Performance in Mathematics in the Modern World

The present study aimed to focus on finding out the Learning Styles and Preferred Learning Modalities and Academic performance of the students in Mathematics in the Modern World. The respondents comprised 830 freshman students enrolled in Mathematics in the Modern World for the First Semester School Year 2021-2022 at Isabela State University-City of Ilagan Campus. The factors were categorized as follows: Profile of the students, Learning Styles, Preferred Learning Modalities, and the Academic Performance of the students in Mathematics in the Modern World. Also, it aimed to determine if there is a significant difference in the academic performance of the students when grouped according to their profile; test if there is a significant difference in the learning styles of the student when grouped according to their profile; test if there is a significant relationship between the learning styles and the academic performance of the students; and to determine if there is a significant relationship between the preferred learning modalities and academic performance of the students in the Mathematics in the Modern World subject. The data gathered were analyzed and interpreted based on the Descriptive Statistics, Analysis of Variance or the F–test and the Chi–square test, and the Micro-Stat Software Program (SPSS) computer output. The descriptive method using the survey and correlational techniques were used in this study. The use of questionnaires and standardized instruments – The VARK Learning Style Inventory by Neil Fleming was used to evaluate the student’s learning styles. The academic performance of the students was limited to the grade obtained in Mathematics in the Modern World validated by the Campus Registrar. The results reveal that in terms of profile socio-economic status, the majority of the respondents belong to families whose monthly income is at most P9, 520.00. Moreover, most students used mobile phones as the gadgets available at home for educational purposes. The results also revealed that the students have fairly satisfactory mathematics performance. There is a significant difference in the academic performance of the students in Mathematics in the Modern world in terms of sex, the field of specialization, the mother’s source of income, and the family’s monthly income. As to profiles of the father’s source of income and the gadget available at home used for educational purposes, there is no significant difference in the academic performance of the students. Most students are classified as Auditory Learners, thus, they learn best through interactive listening. The learning styles of the students differ when grouped in terms of field of specialization and family’s monthly income. Hence, students’ learning styles vary when grouped according to the abovementioned profile. As to the relationship between the learning styles of the students and their academic performance, no statistically significant relationship was found between learning styles and the academic performance of students. Therefore, the earning styles of the students have no influence on their academic performance in Mathematics in the Modern World. Online learning is the preferred learning modality of the students which is 47.40 percent of the total respondents. The study also showed that there is a significant relationship between the preferred learning modality and the academic performance of the students.