Learning style preferences of Kurdish graduate students at the Language Centre
Learning style preferences of Kurdish graduate students at the Language Centre
This study investigates the students’ learning styles preferences and theirimplications on the teaching and learning as well as the designs andselection of the text books. A total of 45 graduate students, taking a coursecalled 'English Proficiency Course' at the Language Centre/ SalahaddinUniversity, participated in the study. The students, later, might need Englishlanguage for academic purposes across different fields of study, namely, higher educationin Kurdistan. The participants were asked to choose the styles from the VARKquestionnaire. Then the data was collected. The outcomes of which were analysed intosome of the major Learning Styles such as 'visual, audio, read/write and kneithetic/tactile'preferences. An implication of this study is that the teaching style should be matched tostudents’ learning style and that the materials, tools and teaching books should also suitstudents’ learning preferences.
___
- Abu-Assali, M.J. (2005) The learning styles of female students in a UAE secondary school. Unpublished (MA) Thesis. Sheffield: The University of Sheffield.
- Afitska, O. (2012) Personal Communication. Sheffield: The University of Sheffield.
- Castro, O. and Peck, V. (2005) Learning styles and foreign language learning difficulties. Foreign Language Annals, 38(3), 401-409.
- Coffield, F. et al. (2004) Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning: A systematic and critical review. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre. Pdf retrieved from http://lerenleren.nu/bronnen/Learning%20styles%20by%20Coffield%20e.a..pdf
- Cohen A.D. and Weaver, S.J. (2005)Styles and strategies-based instruction: A teachers’ guide.Revised version ofCARLA (Working Paper Series #7.University ofMinnesota: Centre for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition.
- Dörnyei, Z. (2005) The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Mahwah, New Jersey; London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Ehrman, M. and Oxford, R. (1990) Adult language learning styles and strategies in an intensive training setting. The Modern Language Journal, 74(3), 311-327.
- Ehrman, M.E. et al. (2003) A brief overview of individual differences in second language learning. System, 31(3), 313-330.
- Flowerdew, J. and Shehadeh, A. (2008)Learning styles and performance in second languagetasks. TESOL Quarterly, 42(4), 665-674.
- Ford, N., and Chen, S.Y. (2001) Matching/mismatching revisited: An empirical study of learning and teaching styles. British Journal of Educational Technology, 32(1), 5-22.
- Hawk, T. and Shah, A. (2007) Using learning style instruments to enhance student learning. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 5(1), 1-19.
- Hedge, T. (2000) Teaching and learning in the language classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Hayes, J. and Allinson, C.W. (1996) The implications of learning styles for training and development: A discussion of the matching hypothesis. British Journal of Management, 7(1), 63-73.
- Kara, S. (2009). Learning styles and teaching styles: A case study in foreign language classroom. State of the art. Conference of the International Journal of Arts and Sciences, 1(20), 77-82.
- Kozhevnikova, E. (2014) Exposing students to authentic materials as a way to increase students’ language proficiency and cultural awareness. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116. 4462 – 4466.
- Mortimore, T. (2003) Dylexia and learning style: A practitioner’s handbook. London and Philadelphia: Whurr.
- Oxford, R.L. (2001) Language learning styles and strategies. In: Celce-Murcia, M. (ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed.). Boston; London: Heinle & Heinle, pp.359-366.
- Pashler, H. et al. (2009) Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105-119.
- Pask, B.G. (1976) Styles and strategies of learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(2), 128-148.
- Peacock, M. (2001) Match or mismatch? Learning styles and teaching styles in EFL. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11(1), 1-20.
- Pritchard, A. (2008) Ways of learning: Learning theories and learning styles in the classroom. London: David Fulton.
- Reid, G. (2005) Learning style and inclusion. London: Paul Chapman.
- Reid, J.M. (1987) The learning style preferences of ESL students. TESOL Quarterly, 21(1), 87-111. Sadler-Smith, E. (2001). A reply to Reynolds’s critique of learning style. Management Learning, 32(3), 291-304.
- Sahragard, R., Mallahi, O. (2014) Relationship between Iranian EFL Learners’ Language Learning Styles, Writing Proficiency and Self-assessment, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 98. 1611-1620.
- Scott, C. (2010) The enduring appeal of ‘learning styles’. Australian Journal of Education,54(1), 5-17.
- Snow, R.E, Carno, L., Jackson III, D. (1996) Individual differences in affective and cognitivefunctions. In: Berliner, D.C., & Calfee, R.C. (eds.), Handbook of educational psychology. New York, London: Macmillan Library Reference USA; Prentice Hall International, pp.243-310.
- Spolsky, B. (1989) Conditions for second language learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Valeo, A. (2000) An investigation into the learning styles of engineers studying English as a second language. Unpublished (MA) dissertation. Sheffield: The University of Sheffield.
- Van Zwanenberg, N. Wilkinson, L.J, & Anderson, A. (2000) Felder and Silverman’s index of learning styles and Honey and Mumford’s learning styles questionnaire: How dothey compare and do they predict academic performance? Educational Psychology, 20(3), 365-380.
- Williamson, M. & Watson, R. (2006) Learning styles research: Understanding how teaching should be impacted by the way learners learn. Part II: Understanding how learners prefer to receive information. Christian Education Journal, 3(2), 343-361.
- Zhou, M. (2011) Learning styles and teaching styles in college English teaching. International Education Studies, 4(1), 73-78.