Reading Comprehension and Design

All 410 ninth graders in a New York junior high school were tested for their preferences for either a formal or an informal instructional environment when concentrating (Shea, 1983). The students revealing strong Design preferences on the Learning Style Inventory (Dunn, Dunn, & Price, 1978) were randomly assigned to either matched or mismatched designs. Experimental Group A was tested in a formal Design containing only wooden or steel furniture; experimental Group B was tested in an Informal Design comprised exclusively of upholstered chairs and couches, pillows, and carpeting. Performance was assessed through scores obtained on the Metropolitan Achievement Comprehension Test. A 2x2 ANOVA was used to determine if there was a main effect of Design preference and instructional environment and a significant interaction effect.

Data evidenced a significant interaction beyond the p < .001 level between learning style preference and environmental design. Specifically, the mean reading comprehension scores of the ninth graders tested in an environment congruent with their preferences for an informal Design were significantly higher than those of their peers tested in an incongruent setting. Interestingly, those who preferred a formal Design, performed almost as well in the informal environment - which initially caused the researcher to suspect that such students could accommodate more easily than those with an opposite preference. However, when the graphs and anecdotal notes made during the experiment were analyzed, students who had seated themselves on the floor with their backs rigidly against the wall were those who preferred a formal Design and intuitively had adapted the environment to their needs. Thus, when we advise students to “sit up straight” in their seats, we inadvertently may be imposing the wrong condition on those who prefer an informal Design. This study was later replicated by Hodges (1985) who had identical findings with seventh and eighth grade urban junior high school students.