THE EFFECTS OF VAK TECHNIQUES IN EFL CLASSROOM

Abstract

The aim of this research was to scrutinize the usage of VAK techniques used in EFL classroom, considering their effects on students’ learning process. In order to reach this aim, three main research questions were raised at the beginning: 1. Which is the most applied VAK technique in EFL classroom?, 2. Does the use of the VAK techniques impact students’motivation?, 3. Which VAK technique is the most favorable for students? This research was conducted using quantitative research method, whereas the data collection instrument was a questionnaire consisting of 8 questions. These questions were focused on the VAK teaching techniques used nowadays in EFL classrooms, trying to identify which technique is the most favorable one for learners. Participants of the study were 160 learners selected from two primary schools located in Prizren: “Emin Duraku” and “Mati Logoreci”. Findings have shown that generally the most applied VAK technique in most of the EFL classrooms nowadays is the visual one, since teachers include mostly verbal elements during the class such as taking notes, writing sentences, reading instructions. In addition, this study showed that the usage of VAK techniques during the learning process increases students’ motivation and encourages them to be more involved in the learning process. Since teachers pay less attention on kinesthetic and auditory teaching techniques, learners have presented their demands on increasing the number of the activities that allow them to learn through listening and movement. Related to students’ preference, the study has shown that games, short movies, and songs are the most favorable VAK activities for learners. If teachers include VAK techniques while teaching, the number of learners that are going to be engaged will be higher. It happens because through VAK techniques learners with different learning styles will find something that fit them the most.