The Relationship Between Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners Perceptual Learning Style Preferences and Listening Comprehension Ability

During the past decades, foreign language learning has become a significant component in people’s lives. Moreover, educational studies in language learning have suggested that a number of factors account for the varieties in how students learn. One of the most important factors, learning styles, is broadly described as cognitive, affective, and perceptual variables which are at work when an individual is engaged in the task of second or foreign language learning. Knowing the students’ learning style preferences including Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Tactile, Group, and Individual in relation with other variables such as level of the education, age, gender, and culture and their effect on learning aids teachers to take them into consideration when choosing the suitable techniques and tasks for their lessons. A review of the relevant literature shows that most of these studies have generally concentrated on differences among learning styles and some skills like reading and vocabulary, etc. Additionally, there seems to be a lack of research regarding the correlation between learning style preferences and listening comprehension. Therefore, the present study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between learning style preferences (LSP) of Iranian intermediate EFL students and their listening comprehension ability. To this end, the participants of the present study were selected from among the Iranian EFL undergraduate students studying at four universities in two major cities in Golestan Province, namely Gorgan and GonbadKavous, Iran. Out of a population of 97 EFL students that were randomly selected to fill out Reid’s (1987) Perceptual Learning Style Questionnaire and listening comprehension test, a total number of 82 students, ranging in age from 18 to 45, were at intermediate level based on Oxford Quick Placement Test(2004). The questionnaire evaluated perceptual learning style preferences of students regarding following modalities: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic preferences. The questionnaire encompassed 30 statements allocated to each modality based on a five point Likertscales, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Using listening comprehension test to investigate listening comprehension ability, the data gathered from each section of the questionnaire test were analyzed together. On the basis of the findings, it was found that there was a positive correlation between visual learning style preferences and listening comprehension ability, but there was no significant correlation between kinesthetic and auditory learning style preferences and listening comprehension. The findings suggest some vital pedagogical implications for teachers, students, and educators in an Iranian EFL context

Keywords:

VAK learning style , Listening comprehension