Surveying perceptual learning style preferences of Iranian tertiary EFL learners

Document Type : research article

Authors

1 Department of English Language and Literature, University of Qom, Iran

2 Department of English Language and Literature, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Learners vary in understanding, organizing, and retaining information or experience, called preferred learning style. We administered Reid’s (1984) Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire to 235 Iranian EFL learners to determine their styles and the role of some variables in their preference. Kinesthetic, auditory, visual, and tactile learning styles came out as major category while individual and group learning styles appeared as minor type. Furthermore, females, not males, prefer auditory learning. Also, age makes a significant difference in preferring only tactile learning style. However, graduate students differed significantly in tactile and visual learning styles from undergraduate students, due possibly to the low number of graduate participants. Yet, participants differed across disciplines of English literature, translation, and TEFL in only tactile learning style. Post-hoc comparisons indicated more preference of tactile style for TEFL students. Other variables investigated showed no significant difference. Thus, Iranian language teachers should be considerate and provide various teaching methods and materials selectively to respond to the diverse learning styles of the learners with different age, gender, and discipline.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Foreign Language Research
Volume 8, Issue 2
December 2018
Pages 337-368

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