Learning styles and learning strategies of left-handed EFL students

Abstract

As some studies on brain lateralization (e.g. Knecht et al., 2000) have lent support to the hypothesis that left handed people may reflect a right-brain dominance, and as differences in dominance could have implications about cognitive functioning, the present study aims at investigating whether this difference is reflected in the learning-style and, therefore, learning-strategy differences between left-handed and right-handed EFL students. To do this, three questionnaires, Torrance's (1987) Right/Left Brain Dominance Test; Oxford's(1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, and VAK Learning Styles Indicator, were adopted and administered among a sample of 100 EFL students (50 left-handers and 50 right-handers). The data collected were then analyzed by SPSS Package to find the patterns of difference and the significance of the differences between left and right-handers on the areas of concern by the computation of cross-tab frequencies with Chi-Square and Independent Samples T-test respectively. Although the results of the data analysis showed no significant difference in brain dominance between right-handersand left-handers, the differences between the groups on certain aspects of learning styles as well as learning strategies were found to be statistically significant suggesting a rather different cognitive processing in left-handed learners than right-handed counterparts and bringing to light the need for the educators, teachers, and syllabus designers to give the issue due attention.