Learning style preferences of Kurdish graduate students at the Language Centre

Abstract

T his study investigates the students’ learning styles preferences and their implications on the teaching and learning as well as the designs and selection of the text books. A total of 45 graduate students, taking a course called 'English Proficiency Course' at the Language Centre/ Salahaddin University, participated in the study. The students, later, might need English language for academic purposes across different fields of study, namely, higher education in Kurdistan. The participants were asked to choose the styles from the VARK questionnaire. Then the data was collected. The outcomes of which were analysed into some 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 to students’ learning style and that the materials, tools and teaching books should also suit students’ learning preferences.