Learning and Teaching Styles in the Focus: The Case of Iranian EFL Learners and Teachers
الموضوعات :زهره سیفوری 1 , زهرا حسن زاده 2
1 - Department of English, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
2 - Department of English, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
الکلمات المفتاحية: learning styles, teaching styles, learner EFL, English Learners, English Teachers,
ملخص المقالة :
Underlying any learning and teaching process is a set of preferred Learning Styles (LSs) and Teaching Styles (TSs) which epitomize the overall educational policy and identification of which is sine qua non for any reform of the educational system. This ex-post-facto study scrutinized preference of Iranian EFL teachers' for Expert, Formal Authority, Personal Model, Facilitator, and Delegator TSs and their students' tendencies towards Visual, Auditory, and Kinaesthetic student LSs. We collected the research data based on Grasha's (1996) Teaching Style Questionnaire administered to 30 Iranian EFL teachers and the Barsch Learning Style Questionnaire (1991) administered to 300 Iranian EFL learners. Descriptive statistics of the research data revealed that majority of Iranian EFL learners opt for the visual learning style and teachers highly favour facilitating foreign language learning. However, Visual and Delegate Learning and Teaching Styles reflected the lowest frequencies. The findings underscore the need to raise teachers’ awareness of LSs so that they can modify their teaching according to their students’ preferences.
Barsch, J. (1991). Barsch learning style inventory. Novato, CA: Academic Therapy.
Bickel, B., & Truscello, D. (1996).New opportunities for learning: Styles and strategies with computers. TESOL Journal, 6(1), 15-19.
Borg, M. (2011). The impact of in-service teacher education on language teachers’ beliefs. System 39, 370-380.
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. New York: Longman.
Cassidy, S. (2004). Learning styles: An overview of theories, models, and measures. Educational Psychology, 24(4), 419–444.
Chabok, S. (2014). Iranian student teachers’ learning styles and their use of repair strategies in teaching demonstrations (Unpublished master’s thesis). Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Tabriz, Iran.
Cornett, C.E. (1983). What you should know about teaching and learning styles. Bloomington: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.
Dirksen, C. (1990). Learning styles of Mainland Chinese students of English. Issues and Developments in English and Applied Linguistics, 5, 29–38.
Duff, A. (2004). Approaches to learning: The revised approaches to studying inventory. Active Learning in Higher Education, 5(1), 56-72.
Dunn, R.S., (1984). Learning style: State of the scene. Theory into Practice, 23, 10-19.
Dunn, R.S., & Dunn, K.J. (1979). Learning styles/teaching Styles: Should they...can they...be matched. Educational Leadership, 36, 238-244.
Dunn, R., Gemake, J., Jalali, F., Zenhausern, R., Quinn, P., & Spiridakis, J. (1990). Cross-cultural differences in learning styles of elementary-age students from four ethnic backgrounds. Journal of Multicultural Counselling and Development, 18(2), 68–93.
Dunn, R.S., & Griggs, S. A. (1989). Learning styles: Quiet revolution in American secondary schools. Clearing House, 65(1), 40-42.
Dunn, R.S., & Griggs, S.A. (1988). Learning styles: Quiet revolution in American schools. Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Dunn, R.S., Honigsfeld, A., & Doolan, L. (2009). Impact of learning-style instructional strategies on students’ achievement and attitudes: Perceptions of educators in diverse institutions. The Clearing House, 82(3), 135-140.
Ferrell, B. G. (1983). A factor analytic comparison of four learning-styles instruments. Journal of Educational Psychology, 75(1), 33–39.
Fleming, N.D. (2001). Teaching and learning styles: VARK strategies. Christchurch, New Zeland: N.D. Fleming.
Ford, N., & Chen, S. Y. (2001). Matching/mismatching revisited an empirical study of learning and teaching styles. British Journal of Educational Technology, 32(1), 5–22.
Gattegno, C., (1970). What we owe children, the subordination of teaching to learning. New York: Outer bridge and Diensfrey,.
Grasha, A. F. (1996). Teaching with Style. Pittsburgh, PA: Alliance Publishers.
Grasha, A. F., & Riechmann, H. S. (1996). Teaching style inventory. Retrieved from http://longleaf.net/teachingstyle.html
Gregorc, A.F. (1997). Relating with style. Colombia, CT: Gregorc Associates.
Hashemian, M., & Adibpour, M. (2012). Relationship between Iranian L2 learners’ multiple intelligences and language learning strategies. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, 3(1), 25-43.
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning. London: Rutledge.
Hawk, T., & Shah, A. (2007). Using learning style instruments to enhance student learning. Decision Silences Journal of Innovative Education, 5(1), 1-19.
Keefe, J. W. (1987). Learning style theory and practice. Reston, Va.: National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Kozulin, A., Gindis, B., Ageyev, V.S., Miller, & S. M. (2003). Socio-cultural theory and education: Students, teachers and knowledge. In Kozulin, A., Gindis, B., Vygotsky’s educational theory in cultural context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Melton, C. D. (1990).Bridging the cultural gap: A study of Chinese students’ learning style preferences. RELC Journal, 21(1), 29-54.
Oxford, R., Ehrman, L. M., & Lavine, R. Z. (1991). Style wars: Teacher-student style conflicts in the Language classroom. In Magnan, S.S. (Ed.), Challenges in the 1990s for college foreign language programs, (pp. 87-110). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.
Oxford, R. L., Hollaway M.E., & Horton-Murillo, D. (1992). Language learning styles: research and practical considerations for teaching in the multicultural tertiary ESL/EFL classroom. System, 20(4), 439-456.
Peacock, M. (2001). Match or mismatch? Learning styles and teaching styles in EFL. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11(1), 1-20.
Petterson, R. (2004) ‘Gearing communications to the cognitive needs of students: Findings from Visual Literacy Research’ Journal of Visual Literacy, 24(2), 129 -154.
Pitts, J. (2009). Identifying and using a teacher-friendly learning-styles instrument. Clearing House, 82 (5), 225-231.
Pratt, D. D. (2002). Good teaching: One size fits all. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education no. 93 (1), 5-15.
Reid, J. M. (1987). The learning style preferences of ESL students. TESOL Quarterly, 21(1), 87-111.
Reid, J. M. (1995). Learning styles in the ESL/EFL classroom. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
Reynolds, J. (1991). Learning and cognitive styles: Confusion Over definitions and terminology. Virginia Counsellors Journal, 19(1), 22-26.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rossi-Le, L. (1995). Learning styles and strategies in adult immigrant ESL students. In J. Reid (Ed.), Language learning styles in the ESL/EFL classroom (pp. 118–125). Boston: Heinle and Heinle.
Sand, J. (1994). Student perceptions of teaching styles: Their relationship to course out comes (Unpublished senior dissertation). University of Cincinnati, Ohio, America.
Sprenger, M. (2003).Differentiation through learning styles and memory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Vygotsky, L. S., (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wallace, B., & Oxford, R. (1992). Disparity in learning styles and teaching styles in the ESL Classroom: Does this mean war? AMTESOL Journal, 1, 45-68.
