Learning Styles

ATU PhDCourse: SLA theoriesProfessor: Dr. KhatibPrepared by: M.Soleimani Aghchay

Individual Learner Differences

Kolb’s Model

Individual Learner DifferencesSkehan (1989) Robinson (2002) Dörnyei (2005)1. Language aptitude2. Motivation3. Language learning

strategies4. Cognitive and

affective factors:a. Extroversion/

Introversionb. Risk takingc. Intelligenced. Field

independencee. Anxiety

1. Intelligence2. Motivation3. Anxiety4. Language aptitude5. Working memory6. Age

1. Personality2. Language aptitude3. Motivation4. Learning and

cognitive styles5. Language learning

strategies6. Other learner

characteristics:a. Anxiety b. Creativityc. Willingness to

communicated. Self esteeme. Learner beliefs

Learning StyleLearning style refers to an individual’s

natural, habitual, and preferred way of absorbing, processing, and retaining new information and skills (Reid 1995).

Learning style is distinguished from ability in that it constitutes preferences that orient a learner to how they approach the learning task rather than capacities that determine how well they learn. (Ellis 2009)

Types of learning styles related to L2 learning

Dörnyei (2005), drawing on Raynar (2000), distinguished ‘learning style’ and ‘cognitive style’.

Cognitive styles are seen as relatively fixed but learning styles are often seen as mutable, changing according to experience, and potentially trainable (Little and Singleton 1990; Holec 1987)

Learning Styles Preferences

Sensory / perceptual style preferences

Cognitive style preferences

Personality-related style preferences

Cohen, Andrew D. 2010. Focus on the Language Learner: Styles, Strategies and Motivation. Second Language Acquisition. In Norbert Schmitt, editor. An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, 2nd edition, Chapter 10, pp. 161-178. London: Hodder Education, p. 163.

Sensory / Perceptual Style Preferences

Being more Visual relying more on the sense of sight and learn best

through visual means (e.g., books, video, charts, pictures).

Auditory preferring listening and speaking activities (e.g.,

discussions, debates, audiotapes, role-plays, lectures). Tactile / kinesthetic (hands-on) benefiting from

doing projects, working with objects and moving around.

Cohen, Andrew D. 2010. Focus on the Language Learner: Styles, Strategies and Motivation. Second Language Acquisition. In Norbert Schmitt, editor. An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, 2nd edition, Chapter 10, pp. 161-178. London: Hodder Education, p. 163.

Cognitive Style PreferencesBeing more Abstract-intuitive – future-oriented/

concrete-sequential – present-oriented Global or particular (detail-oriented) A synthesizer and / or being analytic

(Right/left brain dominance) Field dependent / independent

Cohen, Andrew D. 2010. Focus on the Language Learner: Styles, Strategies and Motivation. Second Language Acquisition. In Norbert Schmitt, editor. An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, 2nd edition, Chapter 10, pp. 161-178. London: Hodder Education, p. 163.

Cognitive Style Preferences (cont.) Abstract-intuitive – future-oriented,

enjoying abstract thinking, and happy speculating about possibilities.

Concrete-sequential – present-oriented, preferring one-step-at-a-time activities and wanting to know where they are going in their learning at every moment.

Cognitive Style Preferences (cont.)

More global – enjoying getting the main idea and comfortable communicating even without knowing all the words or concepts.

More particular – focusing more on details and remembering specific information about a topic well.

More synthesizing – summarizing material well and noticing similarities quickly.

More analytic – pulling ideas apart, doing well on logical analysis and contrast tasks, and tending to focus on grammar rules.

Cognitive Style Preferences (cont.)

More field-dependent – needs context in order to focus and understand something; takes each language part one at a time and may have difficulty handling all of the parts at one time.

More field-independent – able to keep a sense of the whole while handling all the individual parts as well without being distracted

Cognitive Style Preferences (cont.)

Variables associated with FI and FD

Field independence Field dependenceAdolescents/adultsMalesObject oriented jobsUrban, technological societiesFree social structuresIndividualistic people

ChildrenFemalesPeople oriented jobsRural, agrarian societiesRigid social settingsGroup centered people

Ellis, Rod 2009. The Study of Second Language Acquisition. 2nd edition, Chapter 13, p.662. Oxford university press

Personality-Related Style Preferences

Being more Extroverted or Introverted Reflective or Impulsive Open or Closure-oriented

Cohen, Andrew D. 2010. Focus on the Language Learner: Styles, Strategies and Motivation. Second Language Acquisition. In Norbert Schmitt, editor. An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, 2nd edition, Chapter 10, pp. 161-178. London: Hodder Education, p. 163.

Extroverted or Introverted Extroverted – enjoying a wide range of

social, interactive learning tasks (e.g., games, conversations, debates, role-plays, simulations).

Introverted – preferring more independent work (e.g., studying or reading by oneself or learning with the computer) or enjoying working with, say, one other person.

Reflective or Impulsive More reflective – processes material

at a low speed with high accuracy; avoids risks and guessing

More impulsive – processes material at a high speed with low accuracy; often takes risks and guesses

Open or Closure-oriented Keeping all options open – enjoying

discovery learning where information is picked up naturally and where learning doesn’t involve a concern for deadlines or rules.

Closure-oriented – focusing carefully on all learning tasks and seek clarity, meeting deadlines, planning ahead for assignments and staying organized, and wanting explicit directions and decisions.

Willing’s (1987) Two- dimensional Learning Styles

General learning style

Main characteristics

Concrete learning style

Direct means of processing information; people oriented; spontaneous; imaginative; emotional; dislikes routinized learning; prefers kinesthetic modality.

Analytic learning style

Focuses on specific problems and proceeds by means of hypothetical-deductive reasoning; object oriented; independent; dislikes failure; prefers logical didactic presentation.

Communicative learning style

Fairly independent; highly adaptable and flexible; responsive to facts that do not fit; prefers social learning and a communicative approach; enjoys taking decisions.

Authority oriented learning style

Reliant on other people; needs teacher’s directions and learning style explanations; likes a structured learning environment; intolerant of facts that do not fit; prefers a sequential progression dislikes discovery learning.

Reid’s (1987) Perceptual & Social Learning Styles

1. Visual learning e.g. reading & studying charts2. Auditory learning e.g. listening to lectures/

audio tapes3. Kinesthetic learning e.g. physical responses4. Tactile learning e.g. hands on learning, as in

building models.5. Group preference (learning with other learners)6. Individual preference (learning by oneself)

How can we assess an individual’s stylistic preferences?

There are different models (theories) of cognitive/learning style

Accordingly, there are many different measures: – Tests and questionnaires – Riding’s model of cognitive style and the

CSA-test – Ehrman & Leaver’s model of learning style

and the E&L Questionnaire

E & L Learning Style Questionnaire v. 2.0 copyright 2002, Ehrman and Leaver

Name: _________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Date: __________________ Mark in the space for each pair of items what you think you are like. For example, if you like bicycling much more than swimming, you might mark in space 2 (or even 1), like this: I like riding a bicycle. I like swimming.

0. Most like this ___ _x_ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Most like this 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

If you sort of like swimming better, you might mark in space 6. I like riding a bicycle. I like swimming.

0. Most like this ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ _x_ ___ ___ ___ Most like this 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

If you think you are in the middle or really do both equally, use space 5. Try to avoid using space 5 if you can. I like riding a bicycle. I like swimming.

0. Most like this ___ ___ ___ ___ _x_ ___ ___ ___ ___ Most like this 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

There are no right or wrong answers on this questionnaire.

*********************************************************************** Here are the questions:

1. When I work with new language in I don’t usually get much from the context context, in stories or articles or at unless I pay close attention to what sentences; I often pick up new words, ideas, I’m doing. (1a) etc., that way, without planning in advance.

1. Most like this ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Most like this 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

2. When working with new material with When there is a lot of information that comes additional subject matter around it, I with what I need to learn, it’s hard to tell what’s comfortably find and use what is most most important. It all seems to fall together most important. sometimes, and it’s hard work to sort things out. (2a)

2. Most like this ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Most like this 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

3. I like to reduce differences and look for I like to explore differences and similarities. disparities among things. (3a)

3. Most like this ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Most like this 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

4. I tend to be most aware of the ‘big picture;’ I notice specifics and details quickly. (4a)

4. Most like this ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Most like this 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Ehrman & Leaver’s model of cognitive/learning style

One superordinate style dimension: Synopsis vs. ectasis (Ehrman & Leaver, 2003)

Synoptic individuals ‘trust their guts’, while ectenic individuals tend not to

Ectenic individuals want and need more conscious control over the learning situation than synoptic individuals – 10 subordinate style dimensions, e.g.:

• Field dependent/field independent • Random/sequential • Inductive/deductive • Concrete/abstract

A Learning Style Survey: Assessing Your Own Learning Styles by Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, & Julie C. Chi (2001) – downloadable from the CARLA website at: http://www.carla.umn.edu/about/profiles/Cohen

This measure was informed by earlier work conducted by Rebecca Oxford, Madeline Ehrman, and Betty Lou Leaver

Teacher-Learner Style Conflicts in the Classroom

The teacher is more analytic, reflective, and auditory, while the learner is more global, impulsive, and visual,

The teacher is more open-oriented, while the learner is more closure-oriented,

The teacher is more concrete-sequential, while the learner is more random-intuitive,

The teacher is more concrete-sequential, visual, and reflective, while the learner is more random-intuitive, auditory, and impulsive,

The teacher is more extroverted and hands-on, while the learner is more introverted and visual.

[From Oxford, R. L. & Lavine, R. Z. (1992). Teacher-student style wars in the language classroom: Research insights and suggestions. ADFL Bulletin, 23 (2), 38-45.]

To avoid or resolve such conflicts: Assessment of students' and teachers'

styles and use of this information in understanding classroom dynamics,

Changes in the teacher's instructional style,

Style-stretching by students, Changes in the way group work is done in

the classroom, Changes in the curriculum, Changes in the way style conflicts are

viewed.

Oxford, R. L. (1993). Style Analysis Survey. In J. Reid (Ed.) (1995). Learning styles in the ESL/EFL classroom (pp. 208-215). Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Ehrman, M. E. & Leaver, B. L. (1997). Sorting our global and analytic functions in second language learning. Paper presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics annual meeting, Orlando, FL, March 8-11, 1997.

Ehrman, M. E. & Leaver, B. L. (2001). E&L Questionnaire.

Ehrman, M. & Leaver, B. L. (2003). Cognitive styles in the service of language learning. System, 31(3), 313-330.

Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Thank you!