Investigating Student's Language Learning Preferences And Their Teacher's Perceptions:(I Know My Students Like The Back Of My Hand!)

The issue of teaching language according to students’ preferences and wants has always been among language teachers' greatest concerns. Since latest teaching methodologies recommend that students’ needs, wants and aspirations should be considered at the heart of language learning and education, it seems necessary for teachers to study and identify student's learning preferences, because it can give educators new directions for making changes in their teaching methods and materials. In this study, an attempt was made to identify what English language learningactivities, students prefer and find beneficent for their learning, and then these preferences were compared with the teachers’ perceptions of their students’ preferred activities. The learning preferences of 198 students and their 9 teachers in learning English were investigated through the use of a five likert questionnaire. The results showed approximate 60% correspondence between teachers' perceptions of learners' preferences and learners' actual preferences, this implies a need for a closer collaboration between the teacher and students, in selection and implementation of learning activities. The results of the study have implications for syllabus and material designers and for classroom practice

Keywords:

learner attitude , teacher perception , learner activity preferences , teacher activity preferences , individual differences , differentiated instruction