LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 14:12 December 2014
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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ESL/EFL Learning Style Preference among Bangladeshi Students

Shaila Ahmed

Abstract

The effective learning and teaching of English language depends on the application of classroom teaching strategies that takes into account the students’ learning style preferences. The incompatibility between teaching approach and students’ learning preference is one of the responsible factors behind the poor output in the rate of successful learning of English. The current paper investigates into the students’ learning style preferences at the higher secondary level of educational institutions in Bangladesh and also finds out how much importance teachers attach to the good fit between their perception and teaching strategies and students particular preference of the learning styles.

Key words: Learning styles, ESL, EFL, Bangladesh

Introduction

Learning style of individuals has a bearing on their natural and habitual way of learning Hyland (1993). Hence, learning style has a lot to do with the cultural atmosphere in which a learner grows up. The exposure to a certain type of cultural setting plays a role in shaping a learner’s way of thinking, understanding, and analyzing and synthesizing various data that are taken in. The social interaction with diverse people with diverse mindsets influences the formulation of a learner’s personality that in turn influences the learning style of a person. Researchers have recognized the role of socialization in the shaping of style preferences of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds as very important.

Young (1987) recognized the role of cultural variance in accounting for the variance in the learning and teaching styles of different societies. Reid (1987, 1995) acknowledged the unique and variable ability of individual learner and the learning style. He emphasized on the good fit between teaching and learning styles for successful learning; otherwise, he argued, learners will end up frustrated, de-motivated and they will fail in learning effectively.

It is generally agreed that teachers’ teaching approaches need to be in tune with learners’ psychological, cognitive and affective characteristics that have huge implication to the choice of variable learning methods of learners. For effective teaching, teachers should consider these variable factors and accordingly adapt their teaching method so as to maximize the output in learning. With the help of knowledge and ideas about students’ preferred learning styles, teachers can adapt their teaching style to match with that of the students. These knowledge and ideas also serve as guidelines to the designs of the syllabus or curriculum.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Shaila Ahmed
Faculty, American International University-Bangladesh
Banani
Dhaka
Bangladesh
zuiceworld@gmail.com
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