Physiological Elements and Achievement

Perceptually, the younger the children, the more Tactual and/or Kinesthetic they are. In elementary school, less than 12% are Auditory (able to remember three quarters of what they learn through lecture or discussion) and 40% are Visual (able to remember three quarters of what they learn through reading). The older children become, the more Visual and Auditory they become. As a group, females are more Auditory than males; males are more Visual and remain more Tactile and Kinesthetic than females (Dunn & Dunn, 1992, 1993; Dunn, Dunn, & Perrin, 1994).

Time-of-day energy levels change with age. Only 28% of elementary-school students have early-morning energy highs. Most “come alive” after 10:00 in the morning and are most alert between 10:30 A.M. and 2:00 P.M.- during which time they are assigned a one-hour lunch period. At the middle-school level, no more than 30% are early-morning preferents; and, by high school, the morning group has increased to 40%. However at that level, at least 13% are “night owls” and the majority learn best in the late morning and afternoon (Dunn & Dunn, 1992;1993; Dunn, Dunn, & Perrin, 1994).