Download This PaperLearning Styles of Indonesian EFL Students: Culture and Learning
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 11. Number1 March 2020
12 Pages Posted: 15 May 2020
Date Written: April 20, 2020
Abstract
Learners’ success in language learning is affected by many factors, including age, aptitude, and intelligence, cognitive style, attitudes, motivation, and personality. Besides, learning strategies and learning styles also help to succeed in language learning. This paper discusses the learning style preferences of the first-year students at English Department Universitas Brawijaya Malang, Indonesia. There were two problems that attempted to be answered; first, what are the learning styles used by the students, and second, how influential is culture to the students’ learning. Barsch Learning Styles Inventory (BLSI) was employed as an instrument for 73 respondents. The results showed that more than 50% of respondents prefer visual mode, and the remaining were auditory learners, kinesthetic, and bimodal learners who combine visual and auditory modes in learning English. This might be affected by the culture of Indonesian learners that, in general, are accustomed to listening and reading instead of giving spaces to practice knowledge. Understanding the styles of learning can be very useful for the students to learn in the way they learn best through the activities. It will enable them to understand the course contents more comfortably so it can improve their motivation and language abilities, enjoy the learning process, decrease stress, and eventually get better achievement.
Keywords: auditory, bimodal, Barsch Learning Styles Inventory, culture, kinesthetic, learning styles, visual
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