Teaching Styles, Learning Styles and the ESP Classroom

Lee Mei Ph’Ng,S.A Aljunid,C.B.M Rashidi,M.A.A Mohd Salleh,P.J Soh,K.N.F Ku Azir

doi:10.1051/matecconf/201815005082

Lee Mei Ph’Ng, S.A Aljunid + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201815005082

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Abstract

Learner diversity that exists in the classroom plays a role in influencing the teaching and learning process in the classroom. It should be acknowledged in order for the teaching and learning process to be a meaningful and effective process. Thus, this study examined the learning styles preference of engineering students and the teaching styles preferences of their Technical Communication lecturers. The study also looked at whether the students’ learning styles preferences were influenced by their field of study, gender and ethnic backgrounds. Felder and Solomon’s Index of Learning Styles was administered to 588 engineering students while Grasha and Riechmann-Hruska’s Teaching Style Survey was administered to 10 Technical Communication lecturers. The findings revealed that the students have a marked preference for the visual learning style but balanced preferences for the other learning styles dimensions. The students’ field of study, gender and ethnic backgrounds did not seem to influence the students’ learning styles preferences. As for their Technical Communication lecturers, they seem to favour the student-centered teaching approach. All the data support the notion of adopting a balanced teaching approach in the Technical Communication classroom.

Highlights

Data analysis revealed that students were generally inclined towards having balanced preferences for the active-reflective, sensing-intuitive and sequentialglobal learning styles dimensions
The students had a marked preference for the visual learning styles and balanced preferences for the activereflective, sensing-intuitive and sequential-global learning styles dimensions
The students had a marked preference for the visual learning styles and were similar in terms of their balanced preferences for the other three learning styles dimensions

Summary

Introduction

The diversity that occurs among the students means that learners will react differently to their lecturers based on their learning styles preferences [1]. Diversity in teaching and learning styles preferences would result in matches and mismatches between the lecturers’ teaching styles and students’ learning styles. There are researchers who believe that lecturers’ teaching styles should match the students’ learning styles for effective learning to occur, ensure student motivation and achievement [3,4,5]. The mismatches which are bound to happen may be helpful to students to stretch their learning experiences as this would mean adopting their non-preferred learning styles [6]. This study believes that a balanced teaching approach that uses various teaching approaches should be adopted for the classroom

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