Perceptual Learning Style Essay

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In second language learning, instructors and teachers have been putting so much effort in utilising various techniques and methods to ensure their students have a better understanding on the contents conveyed. Nevertheless, these techniques and skills would be more effective if the students’ learning styles are taken into considerations. According to Felder & Spurlin (2005), different students have different learning styles. Reid (2000) stated that learning styles can be categorised into three broad areas namely cognitive, affective and perceptual learning style.
Most of the previous studies conducted discussed on the preferred learning style itself in general and have provided different perspectives on students’ way of learning. However, in this study, the main focus is on the perceptual learning style which refers to Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Kinesthetic, Group, and Individual learners. These kinds of learners refer to those who learn a language more effectively by listening, seeing, hands-on experience, learning with others and learning alone respectively. Hence, this study will provide a specific preference of the students in regards to perceptual learning style.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Learning styles is a pattern of performance that every student uses in the process of learning whereby it is a well-known fact that different students have different learning styles. The bigger the number of students in a classroom implies that more attention should be given on the students’ differences. Teachers or instructors should not ignore the students’ differences particularly in the sense of their preferred perceptual learning style. Furthermore, difference races and educational background wo...

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... auditory and kinesthetic preferences and also two social aspects of learning: group and individual preferences.

METHODOLOGY
In conducting this study, a number of respondents will be chosen from the second year students majoring in English Language Studies in UKM, Bangi. This study employs the quantitative method by using questionnaire form previous research.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
This study will be adapting the Reid’s Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ). The questionnaire has 25 items and each five items are related to visual, auditory, kinesthetic, group and individual learning style preferences. It was the most widely used learning styles instrument for non-native speakers of English (DeCapua & Wintergerst, 2004). It has become one of the popular instruments to examine ESL/EFL students’ learning styles, which is related to this study.