Learning Styles

                Abstract

         The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the learning styles at Atlantic Languages and Informatics School (ALIS). This is a quantitative research study. The focus group comprised one hundred students at ALIS. The data collection was flexible and completed over a period of 4 weeks. The students' learning styles were elicited using the Perceptual Learning Styles Preference Questionnaire developed by Joy Reid (1987). The study findings revealed an interesting result. The study presented the preferred learning styles among ALIS learners. The order of the preferred learning styles was as follows: group, auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic and individual. The study concludes with an affirmation on the importance of understanding students' learning styles.

 I.  Introduction

       To Asian countries, English plays an important role in both economic development and education. Since Vietnam joined WTO (2007), English has been considered as one of the compulsory subjects in public schools, especially in colleges and universities. Students spend at least six years learning English, but a portion of them are still not able to master the language upon completing high school. Teachers, students and parents have been wondering why it is and trying to find solutions to it, but the problem is still there. Being a teacher of English, I and my students have been suffering the same problem. It is my consideration that learning styles play a great role in learning but it seems to be that teachers do not take learning styles into consideration. It is important to know what students’ learning styles are in order to create an optimal environment for both learners and teachers in classroom (Juris, 2009). Knowledge of students’ learning styles can help the teachers know more the characteristics of their students. That means the teachers can easily shape the way of teaching as well as provide suitable materials with students in order to address the need of each and all students. The students want their teachers to know who they are, what their names, what their characters and especially what their learning styles. According to Hanno (1999:323), students expect three things from their teachers “they want to learn, they want preparation for their life, and they want help in realizing their potential”. In short, they want teachers who help them develop their strengths and reduce their weaknesses. Munford (1983:17) contended that: “Management educators should research the learning process and help improve learning by providing a learning process tailored to individual needs. The learning process should account for individual learning styles.”  Therefore, a good teacher should know which styles they work best with and which styles their students are benefited. For example, most of the students in the class are visual learners which means they learn through seeing. They need to see the teacher's body language. They like looking at pictures, diagrams, or videos. They often recognize word by sight and recall information by remembering how it was set out on a page. However, the teacher provides verbal introductions most of the time. They use audio tapes or songs and solving problems by talking about them or discussion. As a result, learning is not effective. The students also want to have knowledge about their learning styles. When students can identify and explore their own learning styles, they can also gain awareness of how they might approach learning. They realize they have some control (Spicer, 2004). Mumford (1995: 28) also stated: “When individuals understand their own learning this presents a great opportunity to discuss how they learn. This helps them put learning into practice.” Thus, the knowledge of learning and teaching styles is necessary to students and teachers.

The purpose of the study is going to identify:

What are the students' learning styles at ALIS?

What is learning style? Joy Reid (1995) defined learning styles as ―internally based characteristics, often not perceived or used consciously, that are the basis for the intake and understanding of new information. She also stated some fundamental hypotheses that learning styles are based on. She writes:

• every person, student and teacher alike, has a learning style and learning strengths and weaknesses;
• learning styles exist on wide continuums, although they are often described as opposites;
• learning styles are value-neutral; that is, no one style is better than others

Felder and Henriques (1995: 21) defines learning style as “The ways in which an individual characteristically acquires, retains, and retrieves information are collectively termed the individual’s learning styles”. With the same opinion about the definition of learning style, Kamuche (2005: 35) also stated that: “The way in which students normally obtain, retain and get back information are defined as the students’ learning styles”. Another definition of learning style introduced by Gregorc's (1979: 19) was "distinctive and observable behaviors that provide clues about the mediation abilities of individuals and how their minds relate to the world and therefore, how they learn". Fleming (2001: 1) draws the definition of learning style as "an individual's characteristics and preferred ways of gathering, organizing, and thinking about information.” 

According to Reid (1987), learning styles are variations among learners in using one or more senses to understand, organize and retain experience.  Reid (1987) identifies six learning styles, referred to as Perceptual Learning Styles:

1. Visual learners learn through seeing. They learn best from visual displays such as diagrams, illustrated text books, pictures or videos.
2. Auditory learners learn through listening. They learn best through verbal lectures, discussions and listening to what others have to say. These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape recorder.
3. Tactile learners learn through touching. They learn well in hands-on activities like projects and demonstrations.
4. Kinesthetic learners learn through moving. They learn best when they are involved or active and find it difficult to sit still for long periods.
5. Group learners will do best in a group situation as they compare, share, relate, and interview other people.
6. Individual learners do best in self paced instruction, individualized projects, and working alone.

Reid (1995) proposed two major hypotheses about learning styles:

1. All students have their own learning styles and learning strengths and weaknesses.
2. A mismatch between teaching and learning styles causes learning failure, frustration and demotivation.

II. Literature review

 In the last five decades, the topic of learning and teaching styles has been an important issue in the study of any institution. There have been several studies focusing on learning styles. Concerning second or foreign language learning styles Reid (1987) reported that Chinese university students who were studying in the USA favored kinesthetic and tactile styles. Melton (1990) in his investigation of learning styles of Chinese university students found that they favored kinesthetic, tactile and individual styles. Rossi-Le (1993) found that adult immigrants in the USA favored kinesthetic and tactile styles.  There have been some studies investigating the teaching styles. Evans, Harkins, and Young (2008) investigated the teaching styles of public school teachers and explored the relationship between teaching styles and cognitive styles. Matthew Peacock (2001) studied the correlation between learning and teaching styles based on Reid's hypotheses. He found out that a mismatch between teaching and learning styles causes learning failure, frustration and demotivation.  Reid (1987) stated that mismatches between learning and teaching styles often occurred and this mismatch resulted in bad effects on students' learning and attitudes to English. Essentially, these studies clearly suggest that the knowledge of styles is necessary to not only students but also teachers. Thus, the study of the topic remains an important issue.