The article “Learning Styles and Technology in a Ninth-Grade School Population” is a comparison study of two high schools in Bergen County, NJ, Apple Academy East, a magnet school that incorporates technology across the curricula, and Ridgewood High School, a more traditional school were there is not much technology integration. The focus of Cohen’s study was to find out if constructivist teaching practices with heavy technology infusion had an affect on student learning.

            Six variables from pre-testing, post-testing, and interviews were analyzed in the process.  These variables included motivation, persistence, responsibility, working alone or with peers, parent motivation, and teacher motivation. According to Cohen, the Apple Academy students showed considerable growth in four of the six variables were the students from Ridgewood high only had considerable growth in two of the six variables.  From this testing information and the interviews it was determined that school environments that use constructivist methods and are integrating technology throughout the curricula can have a significant positive affect on student learning. 

            The students offered some interesting thoughts during the interview process.  Cohen states, that when asked what things they like about school, the majority of students in the Apple Academy stated items like the projects, technology, the material taught, and the challenge. Where as students at Ridgewood mentioned rotating schedules, free periods, sports, and the open learning environments as the things they liked about school.  When asked how relevant did you find school this year, Cohen notes that Apple student said “that school was very relevant and that it was more like the real world.”  When asked the same question students at Ridgewood High stated that “school sort of helped for college but didn’t seem related to day to day life.”

            A negative aspect of constructivist practices that was mentioned by students in the interview process, according to Cohen, is that students did not like the unstructured environment and having unclear directions.  Students at Ridgewood High told Cohen that school was boring and that they didn’t like the lectures.  The main point of Cohen study is that students can make great strides in their learning with curricula that is integrated with constructivist methods and technology.

            This study was well done.  The similarities between both student populations made it an honest and valid study.  I think that through the pre-testing, post-testing and interviews Cohen was able to see a connection between the use of technology and the independent learning styles that students were developing.  I feel that some of the most important findings of the study were discovered during the interview process.  Students must see the need for learning and schooling.  Making the connection to the real world is vital to have true learning.  This study shows that technology can help make that connection to the real world for our students. 

Cohen, V. L. (2001) Learning Styles and Technology in a Ninth-Grade High School      Population. Journal of Research on Computing in Education. 33, 4.