Journal of Agricultural Education - Vol. 37, No. 4, 1996

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the problem solving approach to the subject matter approach in producing increased problem solving ability in students of varying learning styles. Results indicated that the majority of males were field-independent learners, whereas slightly less than half of the female students were field-independent (48.8%). Results also indicated that students in classes taught by the problem solving approach produced significantly higher problem solving ability test scores than did students in classes taught by the subject matter approach. When teaching approach was analyzed across learning styles, field-independent learners taught by the problem solving approach exhibited significantly higher scores between pretests and posttests. No differences were found between the pretest and posttest scores of either field-dependent or field-neutral learners. Also, no differences across learning styles for the subject matter approach groups were detected. Over the past decade a new commitment to Joyce and Weil (1986) noted that the selection quality instruction and student learning has emerged of a teaching method is critical to the learning style in the educational community. As a part of that of those being served by the instruction. Ronning, community, agricultural educators are reassessing McCurdy, and Ballinger (1984) contended that past educational practices in an effort to determine some students may possess a style of learning which the effectiveness and validity of methods which have is not complimentary to the use of problem solving for years been practiced and proclaimed with almost instruction. religious fervor (Dyer, 1995). One of those methods is the problem solving approach to teaching agricultural education. The problem The theoretical framework for this study was solving approach has been widely accepted and founded in Mitzel’s conceptual model for the study recommended by agricultural educators as the best of classroom teaching (Dunkin & Biddle, 1974). method of teaching agriculture (Phipps & Osborne, Adapted to this study, the Mitzel model suggests 1988). Today, that approach remains the primary that the effectiveness of a teaching approach method of teaching offered to preservice agriculture (process variable) on the problem solving ability of teachers in many teacher education programs. students (product variable) is moderated by the However, critics of the problem solving approach learning styles of the students (context variable) accuse that while the approach has a sound when teacher effects (presage variables) are held theoretical base, it has been accepted with little constant. Therefore, consideration of student empirical evidence to either defend or reject its learning styles is a necessity in determining the usefulness in the classroom (Moore & Moore, effectiveness of a particular teaching approach on 1984). the problem solving ability of students.