Abstract:
One of the important concerns of teachers and instructional developers or designers should be the
students’ style of learning, as research found that the quality of a learning material is enhanced if it
is designed taking into account learners’ individual learning styles. Thus, this paper aimed to
explore the different learning styles and strategies of students, and how these can be accommodated
in the design and development of instructional and learning materials in English Language
Teaching (ELT) or English as a Second Language (ESL). In the study, there were 128 respondents
who were freshman college students taking English 16.1, a basic English course offered in Xavier
University, a reputable university in Northern Mindanao, Philippines in which the study was
conducted. The method used in the study was a combination of quantitative and qualitative
methods done through a survey questionnaire. The instrument utilized in the study is called, The
Learning Style Survey designed by Cohen, Oxford and Chi published by the Center for Advanced
Research on Language Acquisition at the University of Minnesota. Results and findings revealed
that the Visual Learners dominate the freshman college students who have preference for seen or
observed objects including pictures, diagrams, paradigms, demonstrations, displays, handouts,
films, and flip-charts, and can work well from checklists, written directions/instructions, scripts and
texts. Therefore, the most effective and appropriate materials for these types of learner are maps,
flow charts and webs. The use of highlights, color codes, book/marginal notes are effective
strategies. Moreover, being in the era where the hype of technology is observable, students are
comfortable in studying with visual contextual information not just by seeing or reading the
material but also seeing materials that are animated or moving. The use of technological materials
for studying helps students in their creativity in the use of different gadgets and applications in
many ways. |
