A study on non english major students learning style preferences at hai duong vocational training college

1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐẶNG THU TRANG A STUDY ON NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENT’S LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES AT HAI DUONG VOCATIONAL TRAINING COLLEGE (Nghiên cứu sở thích học sinh viên không chuyên Anh Trường cao đẳng Nghề Hải Dương) MINOR THESIS Field: Methodology Code: 601410 HANOI, 2010 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Learning mode Table 2: Preferred learning skills Table 3: Learning vocabulary Table 4: Learning grammar Table 5: Learning aids Table 6: Learning activities Table 7: Oral correction Table 8: Written correction Table 9: Doing homework ABBREVIATIONS ESL: English as a Second Language HDVTC: Hai Duong vocational training college TABLE OF CONTEN ACKNOWLEDGMENTS LIST OF TABLES ABBREVIATIONS PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Aims of the study Research Questions Scope of the study Methods of the study Organization of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1.Definitions of Learning styles 1.2 Categorizations of learning styles 1.2.1 Cognitive learning styles 1.2.2 Sensory learning styles 1.2.2.1 Perceptual learning styles 1.2.2.2 Environmental learning styles 1.2.3 Personality learning styles 1.3.Summary of findings about learning style preferences 1.4 The advantages of identifying learning styles CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 2.1 Subjects and the context of the study 2.1.1 The subjects 2.1.2 The context of the study 2.1.2.1 Overview of Hai Duong vocational training college 2.1.2.2 The teachers of Hai Duong vocational training college 2.1.2.3 The students of Hai Duong vocational training college 2.1.2.4 The material 2.2 Data collection instruments CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Data collection procedures 3.2 Results and discussion 3.3 Conclusion CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS 4.1 Summary of the findings 4.2 Implications 4.2.1 For students 4.2.2 For teachers 4.2.2.1 Using group work 4.2.2.2 Using visual aids 4.2.2.3 Techniques for Reading comprehension 4.2.2.4 Using songs 4.2.2.5 Teach grammar structures inductively 4.2.2.6 Role play 4.2.2.7 Placing new words into context 4.2.2.8 Error correction 4.2.2.9 Provide a variety of homework PART C: CONCLUSION Conclusion Limitations and recommendations for further research REFERENCES APPENDICES APPENDIX A: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE APPENDIX B : QUIZ APPENDIX C : Reading Comprehesion (Unit 9: Food you like) APPENDIX D :Using group work (Unit 6: Can you speak English?) PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study In recent years with the shift from an instructional paradigm to a learner-oriented approach towards language learning/teaching, understanding the way people learn is of crucial importance and is the key to educational improvement There is no doubt that students take in and comprehend information in different manners Some like to see and others like to hear Some prefer to learn individually, independent of others, while others enjoy interaction with their peers It is widely believed that the different ways of how a learner takes in and processes information are collectively referred to as learning styles or learning preferences To achieve a desired learning outcome, teachers should provide teaching interventions and activities that are compatible with the ways through which learners like to learn the language or any other subject matter Students differ in terms of their learning styles and preferences for instructional practices Teachers can benefit from discovering their students‟ preferences in instructional practices Nunan (1995:140) proposed that “teachers should find out what their students think and feel about what and how they want to learn” Research on learning styles, has provided teachers and also students with a different view of learning and how to apply it to classrooms Up to now, there has been very little research concerning Vietnamese ESL learners‟ preferences for learning English The purpose of this study is to examine preferences for English learning among nonEnglish major students at HDVTC Aims of the study With the above-presented rationale, the specific aims of the study, accordingly, are:  to explore the HDVTC students style preferences for learning English  to suggest pedagogical implications for students and teachers at HDVTC to improve students‟ achievement in learning English Research Questions In order to investigate student‟s learning style preferences at HDVTC, the following questions were addressed: Which learning styles are favored by students? What should be done to improve students’ achievement in learning English? Scope of the study In my thesis, I intended to find out the learning styles of HDVTC students only and then suggest some useful implications for teachers to better students‟ achievement The study is not a collection of learning activities, but a guidance for students and teachers Methods of the study To achieve the aims mentioned above the following tasks are involved: A Survey questionnaire is conducted to find out the students‟ learning styles A 10- item language learning preference questionnaire was employed to elicit information for the study The data from questionnaire was analyzed quantitatively Organization of the study The thesis is organized into three parts: PART A - Introduction: provides the feasibility of the topic, the rationale of choosing the topic, the aim of the study, research questions, the scope of the study, the methods of the study and the design of the study PART B- The Development: consists of four chapters CHAPTER - Literature review: discusses theorical backgrounds that are relevant to the purpose of the study such as: definitions of learning styles, categorizations of learning styles, learners‟ learning preferences and advantages of identifying student‟s learning styles CHAPTER – The study: presents subjects and the context of the study and data collection instruments CHAPTER 3- Data analysis and discussion: presents data collection procedures, a detailed description of data analysis and report on the findings of different asked questions CHAPTER 4- Findings and implications: provides summary of the major findings and some pedagogical implications for students and teachers at Hai Duong vocational training college PART C - Conclusion: deals with what has been done in the study and some possible suggestions for further research and limitations of the study The references and appendices are also included in this part PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Definitions of learning styles During the past decade, educational research has identified a number of factors that account for some of the differences in how students learn One of these factors is learning styles Learning styles are described by different researchers: According to Kaplan and Kies (1995: 29-34): Learning style is an inborn characteristic which does not easily change during the lifetime, but can change and be developed during the life of the individual through the experiences This affects the individual while walking, lying, sitting, speaking, playing and writing Actions are made according to these characteristics Besides this, learning style has an important place in learning how to study According to Grasha (1996: 386 ): Grasha developed another model based on the importance of preferences in learning He describes “learning style” as the collective experience of learning during the process of gaining knowledge According to Allport (1961:608): Learning style is defined as perception, thought, remembering or problem-solving of the individual in the way that s/he is used to It is assumed that these definitions include cognitive processes and the individuals use the learning style that they are used to According to Keefe (1979a:4): “Learning styles are characteristic cognitive, affective, and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicator of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment…Learning style is a consistent way of functioning, that reflects the underlying causes of learning behavior” By taking advanced cognitive processes, Keefe has explained lasting cognitive, affective and physiological characteristics after researching how the student perceived the environment and how she/he interacted his/her learning environment He has also stated that individual characteristics are under the influence of the genetic code, personal 10 development and strong environmental adaptation According to him, learning style has cognitive, affective and environmental aspects According to Dunn and Dunn (1993:4): “Learning style is the way in which each learner begins to concentrate on, process, absorb, and retain new and difficult information It is a combination of many biological and experiential characteristics that work on their own or together as a unit to contribute to learning This interaction with new information is unique for each individual” Dunn and Dunn have taken some developmental characteristics into consideration while determining learning styles Because of differences coming from biological and individual developmental characteristics, some ways can be found to make instruction appropriate In other words, some students learn through hearing, some through experiencing and some primarily through watching According to Dunn & Dunn, the important thing is that the teacher has to determine the ways by which the student learns in the process According to Kolb (1984): His experiential learning which differs from other cognitive learning theories explores the use of experiences in the learning process With this start, he has developed his studies following on experiential learning theory As a result, a learning style model has been developed Kolb defines learning as “the process of being in harmony with the social and physical environment” He has proceeded to define “learning” and differentiate it from knowledge According to Kolb, learning is a process and knowledge is the transformation of the experience Among the above mentioned definitions of learning styles, the definition by Keefe sees learning style as broader construct, which includes cognitive along with affective and psychological styles It was accepted by the leading theorists Therefore, the researcher will refer to the definition of Keefe in this study It is necessary to categorize the learning styles So the categorizations of learning styles will be presented in the following part 1.2 Categorizations of learning styles Within learning styles, there are differences in the components that make up each one For example, in the category of perceptual learning styles Keefe (1979:137) uses 11 kinesthetic/psychomotor, visual/spatial and auditory/verbal O‟Brien‟s (1989: 85-89) components are visual and haptic (a combination of tactile and kinesthetic), while James & Galbraith (1985) include print visual and interactive (verbalization and olfactory) Reid‟s perceptual learning style (1995:15-17) includes visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, group and individual learning styles Reid (1995:15-17) divides learning styles into three major categories: cognitive learning styles, sensory learning styles, and personality learning styles Cognitive styles relate to thinking, problem solving abilities and the ability to organize information Sensory or perceptual learning style has to with the physical environment in which we learn, and involves using our senses in order to perceive data Personality learning style takes students‟emotions, values and feelings into consideration 1.2.1 Cognitive learning styles Field-independent vs Field-dependent: Field-independent learners learn more effectively step by step, beginning with analyzing facts and proceeding to ideas The field independent students prefer to learn in a context where rules, instructions, discrete-point tests and imitation are emphasized Field- dependent students, on the other hand, generally prefer cooperative and experiential learning environments Analytic vs Global: Analytic learners learn individually They prefer to learn one detail at a time in a meaningful sequence Once they know all the parts, they put the parts together and comprehend the “big picture” Global learners prefer interaction with other people They concerned with the whole meaning and the end results They need to start with an overview of the “big picture” before they deal with elements of the whole Reflective vs Impulsive: Reflective learners learn more effectively when they have time to consider options before responding They learn by thinking things through, working alone While impulsive learners are able to respond immediately and take risks They learn by trying things out, working with others 41 For example: Happy New Year (ABBA), Flying without wings (West life), My heart will go on (Celine Dion) or I have a dream (ABBA) are excellent for students to learn It is not time- consuming for language teachers to find suitable songs that can be used for their lessons as many sources are available including books, magazines, CDs, videos and the internet On the internet, teachers can download songs, copy lyrics and design task as well The following links can be used as songs and lesson plans for using songs references: http:/www.forefrontpulishers.com/elsmusic/ http:/www.fanshawec.on.ca/tlwm/ http:/www.songsforteaching.com/elseflesol.htm 4.2.2.5 Teach grammar structures inductively Teaching grammar inductively has favorable implications for communicative competence, which involves a selection of the right grammatical terms to that of the appropriate setting Learners need to also know how to use language in context: when, where and to whom to use these grammatically correct sentences It has been said that presenting conclusions first and then providing examples robs students of the joy of discovery Rules learners discover for themselves are more likely to fit their existing mental structures, making them more meaningful, memorable and serviceable Students are more actively involved in the learning process and are therefore likely to be more attentive and motivated Furthermore, working things out for themselves prepares students for greater self-reliance and autonomy It is often better to present some examples or drawings first and ask students to make sense of them, to generalize about them, to draw the conclusions themselves By beginning with the examples together with visual aids, evidence, texts, dialogues and so forth and arriving at conclusion later, you can maintain interest and increase motivation, as well as teach the skills of the analysis and synthesis Grammar is best taught and practised in context For example: in Unit 11: Looking good!, teachers should draw some simple actions to present the present continuous tense on the board such as: 42 (1) He is crossing the street (2) He is waiting for the bus Then teachers ask students to underline the verbs in the two sentences finding out the similarities between two sentences After that, students draw the rules of the present continuous tense as follow: S + TO BE + Ving 4.2.2.6 Role play According to the data analysis, oral activities were favored by the students Teachers ought to be aware that students like to interact with each other and be actively engaged in classroom activities Role play is an effective way that helps to create the presence of real life situation in the classroom When students assume a role, they play a part of either their own or somebody else‟s in a specific situation Play means that the role is taken on in a safe environment in which students are as inventive and playful as possible In the roles, students are experimenting with their knowledge of the real world and developing their ability to interact with other people Role play lets students develop and practice speaking in combination with other skills and create motivation and involvement necessary for learning to occur Teachers can prepare lots of situation such as: A customer and a waiter (in Unit 2) An interviewer and a famous person (in Unit 4) A bank officer and a customer on the phone (in Unit 6) A shop-keeper and customer (in Unit 9) 43 4.2.2.7 Placing new words into context There are two kinds of vocabulary: active and passive vocabulary, teachers need to choose active and passive vocabulary For passive words, teacher should make sentences then ask students to guess from the context The best way to teach active words is setting up the context by realia, real object, mimes, pictures, visual aids, dialogue etc Translation is obviously one way round the problem of difficult concept, however it's not good for grasping the meaning It is a good idea that teachers motivate their students to use the new words in a sentence, or try to infer the meaning of the new vocabulary rather than study isolated words or translate new words into Vietnamese since learners not like such vocabulary learning strategy Student will then associate new words with a meaningful context to which they apply When students see new words or expressions and guess the meanings of the words in context, they will remember the words better and see how the words are used For example, to teach the word “free” (Unit 4: Take it easy), teachers set up the context by this way: A I am free at weekends What you in your free time? B In my free time, I go fishing or play soccer or watch T.V A Are you free this weekend? B Yes, what are we going to do? A Let’s go fishing Then students work in pairs to guess the meaning of the word “free” Or teachers use mimes to set up the context of new words such as: excited, tired, bored, annoyed, interested (unit 13) 4.2.2.8 Error correction The way error correction is done is much more important than the error itself Teachers must be very careful and tactful in correcting errors and try to employ encouraging correction Do not give the learners the pressure to be correct and to be the best learners of the class As adults, the learners are very sensitive If feel being forced or face-threatened, they tend to withdraw and refuse to participate in the task It is very important that learners 44 not feel the pressure to perform correctly As long as they enjoy the learning experience and participate enthusiastically in the task, the activity is considered successful For oral errors, teachers should note errors and deal with them later, either at the end of the task, lesson or day This non-immediate correction can also provide time for the teacher to research efficient and effective practice tasks A key skill is to anticipate possible errors and be prepared Teachers should conduct an error correction orientation before implementing a particular oral practice There is also the issue of one student making an error, and whether to stop the class and drill everyone (after all, this could be beneficial to all) This might depend on the task For instance, in a mix and mingle interaction pattern, the teacher may deal with the one student, or alternatively decide not to interfere, particularly if fluency rather than accuracy is the goal of the task Again, the decision of whether to correct immediately or not may depend on whether the error is causing a misunderstanding However, when correction is carried out, it needs to be done with sensitivity to avoid embarrassment and demotivation For written errors, teachers should give students a chance to correct themselves or each other, the right model to copy must be given later Real learning takes place when students are given the opportunity to internalization or memorize it Therefore, it is better for the teacher to elicit corrections from the students and teachers „correction should be seen as the last resource if students fail to self-correct or peer-correct Students will remember the correction for longer because their teacher gives them independence 4.2.2.9 Provide a variety of homework Normally students don‟t like doing homework and find it boring It is essential that teachers assign some work for students to outside the classroom, either in the form of reviewing the day‟s work or preparing for the next session Teachers should give students a variety of homework, including exercises, and a bit of challenging tasks, eg: making charts or posters, drawing objects or a plan or a people and describe them, preparing real objects for the next lesson, collecting short articles or stories following the topics given by teachers For example: In Unit 2: Meeting people- Everyday English, before the class, the teacher asks students to prepare at home some food and drink such as bread, cheese, chocolate cake, 45 snacks, instant coffee, tea, a bottle of water, Coke Then, in class, a group of three students make a menu After that, they role play as a customer and a waiter Or in Unit 7: Then and now, after the class, the teacher encourages students to make posters about other famous people like Ho Chi Minh or Michael Jackson, Students are given some information about these people including when they were born, where they were born, what they did in their life, when they died So they can write a biography of the person they like Students should be divided into group of five to the task In Unit 4: Take it easy! After class, it is a good idea for students to make their daily timetable at home And in the following class, they talk about their daily activities in group of three students This is a suggested timetable: Time a.m 6.30 a.m a.m 11 a.m p.m p.m p.m p.m 10 p.m 46 PART C: CONCLUSION Conclusion With the objective to find out the non-English major students‟ learning style preferences at HDVTC then suggest some pedagogical implications for improving the students‟ achievement in learning English, my first job is to review the literature related to learning style preferences Here I briefly present several definations and categorizations of learning styles, summarize findings about learning style preferences and show some advantages of identifying learning styles Then I viewed the current situations at HDVTC including the subjects of the study and the context of the study There were 200 students from different fields ( information technology, accounting, electric-electronic and sewing) participated in this study The data collection instrument was the survey questionnaire including 10 items: (1) Student‟s length of learning English ; (2) Learning mode ; (3) Preferred learning skills; (4) Learning vocabulary; (5) Learning grammar ; (6) Learning aids; (7) Learning activities; (8) Oral correction; (9) Written correction; and (10) Doing homework Based on the data analysis, the major findings were identified Most of participants in the study like communicative approach to perfect their language skills They prefer to work in groups, talk to their partners, role play, actively take part in classroom activities, and tend to take challenges in acquiring English They like to practice English with visual and auditory aids Finally, with the hope to give some contributions to motivate and better the students‟ achievement in learning English at HDVTC, some recommendations for both students and teachers at HDVTC consisting of (1) Using group work; (2) Visual aids; (3) Techniques for reading comprehension; (4) Inductive grammar teaching; (5) Role play; (6) Using songs; (7) Placing new words into context; (8) Error correction; and (9) Doing homework It is hoped that the study will prove worthwhile to those who want to motivate students in studying English and who are concerned about learning style preferences 47 Limitations and recommendations for further research In any research papers, limitations are unavoidable The study presented in this minor thesis is of no exception Firstly, the researcher did not have access to all freshmen at Hai Duong vocational training college Thus, the conclusion on the situation of students‟ learning style preferences may not be generalized for the rest students at Hai Duong vocational training college So I hope that in the near future, I have opportunities to carry out the study with larger population Secondly, the researchers may make use of the results of the present study to conduct some pieces of research as to the effect of variables such as gender, age, level of education, and cultural influences on the students‟ choice of learning styles Thirdly, the techniques suggested in this research are selected from different reliable but limited sources Therefore, to get a better and more efficient study, the researcher should choose appropriate techniques to learners of all level at Hai Duong vocational training college 48 REFERENCES Allport, G.W (1961) Pattern and Growth in Personality Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York Anderson, J (1993) Cognitive styles and multicultural populations Journal of Teacher Education Biggs, J., (2001) Enhancing Learning: A Matter of Style or Approach? In: Perspectives on Thinking, Learning and Cognitive Styles, Sternberg, R.J and L.F Zhang(Eds.) Mahwah, Lawrance Erlbaum Associates Brown, H D (1994) Teaching by principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy London: Prentice Hall Regents Dunn, R and K Dunn, (1993) Teaching Secondary Students Through their Individual Learning Styles Allyn and Bacon, Boston Fidan, N (1986) Learning and Teaching at School, Concepts, Principles, Methods Ankara: Kadıoğlu Publication Grasha, A.F (1996) Teaching With Style Pittsburgh, Alliance, PA Kaplan, E.J and D.A Kies, (1995) Teaching styles and learning styles J Instruct Psychol Kavaliauskiene, G (2003) English for specific purposes: Learners’ preferences and attitudes Journal of Language and Learning 10 Keefe, J.W (1979) Learning Style: An Overview In NASSP's Student Learning Styles: Diagnosing and Prescribing Programs National Association of Secondary School Principals, Reston, VA 11 Kolb, D.A (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development Prentice Hall, New Jersey 12 Mc Keachie, W.J.(1995) Learning styles can become learning strategies http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9511/v4n6.pdf 13 Nunan, D (1995) Closing the Gap between Learning and Instruction TESOL Quarterly 14 O‟Brien, L (1989) Learning Styles: Make the Student Aware National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin 73 49 15 Park C.C (1997a) Learning style preferences of Asian American (Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese) students in secondary schools Equity & excellence in education 16 Park C.C (2000) Learning Style preferences of Southeast Asian students Urban Education 17 Reid, J (1995) Learning styles in the ESL/EFL classroom Boston, MA: Heinle and Heinle Publishers 18 Slavin, R.E (1983) Cooperative learning White plains, NY: Longman 19 Temel, A (2002) Do you know your learning style? Educat Sci http://www.basariyolu.com/yazarlar.asp?id=132 20 Wintergerst, A C., DeCapua, A., & Marilyn, A V (2003) Conceptualizing learning style modalities for ESL/EFL students System 50 APPENDICES APPENDIX A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE The following questionnaire aims at finding out the student‟s learning style preferences at Hai Duong vocational training college Your assistance in completing the survey is appreciated All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose HOW DO YOU LIKE LEARNING ENGISH ? Name: Age: Tick the appropriate box Male How long have you learned English before? years Please put a circle around your answers.You can choose more than one answer In class, How you like learning? a individually b in pairs c in small groups d with the whole class In class, How you like learning? a by listening and taking notes b by reading and doing comprehension 51 c by speaking to the others d by writing topics you‟ve learned e by practicing sounds and pronunciation When learning new vocabulary, How you like learning? a by using new words in a sentence b by giving the antonym and synonym of the new word c by translating the words into Vietnamese d by guessing the words in context When learning grammar, How you like? a learning the rules first, then making sentences b reading sentences given by the teachers, then finding out rules In class, How you like learning? a by using pictures/drawings/ videos b by using radio/ tapes/ cassettes c by using the blackboard d by using written material What you like doing in class? a role playing b doing language games c singing English songs d doing puzzles 52 In class, when you speak, How you want to be corrected? a immediately, in front of everyone b later, at the end of the activity, in front of everyone c later, in private In class, when you write, How would you like to be corrected? a self correction with the teacher‟s help b peer-correction with teacher‟s help c the teacher to correct your work 10 At home, How you like to spend time? a preparing for the next class b reviewing the day's work c doing exercises in the workbook d practicing English with other people Thank you very much! 53 APPENDIX B QUIZ Answer the following questions about food Circle A, B, C, or D Where is Kimchi from? A.Vietnam B Germany C Korea D England Answer: C Where is pizza from? A Germany B Italy C Egypt D Japan Answer: B Where is the hamburger originaly from? A The United states B Japan C Mexico D Holland Answer: A Which continent produces the most cocoa? A Asia B Europe C America D Africa Answer: D Which country is the largest producer of wheat ? A China B Canada C Brazil D Russia Answer: A 54 APPENDIX C: Reading Comprehension( Unit 9: Food you like) 55 APPENDIX D : Using group work (Unit 6: Can you speak English?) ... implications: provides summary of the major findings and some pedagogical implications for students and teachers at Hai Duong vocational training college PART C - Conclusion: deals with what has... training college 2.1.2.3 The students of Hai Duong vocational training college 2.1.2.4 The material 2.2 Data collection instruments CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Data collection procedures... taught as a compulsory non- major subject Due to the lack of vocational teachers at HDVTC, classes almost always have a large number of students Each class loads around 50 students This situation