Learning Styles of An-Najah National University Students in ‎Learning English as a Foreign Language

Learning Styles of An-Najah National University Students in ‎Learning English as a Foreign Language

Fawaz Aqel*, Sameer Mahmoud**‎

a_aqel@najah.edu

‎*Teaching Methods Department, Faculty of Educational Science‎ ‎**Department of English Langauge, Faculty of Art, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.‎

Received : 05-08-2004 , Accepted : 13-01-2005

Language: English

Abstract

This study sought to identify the learning styles used by An-Najah National University students in their learning of English as a foreign language. To this end, the study raised several questions: What are the learning styles used by An-Najah National University students in their learning of English? Are there any statistically significant differences at a = 0.05 in learning styles which may be attributed to variables of gender, major, average, place of living, computer use and academic level? The data were collected from a randomly chosen sample of 120 male and female students or 37.8% of total population of the study of 320 male and females students. A 24-item questionnaire was used for the purpose of data collection. For data analysis, the researchers used t-test and One-Way Analysis of Variance. It was found that there were no statistically significant differences at 0.05 in the learning styles which might be attributed to gender. However, it was found that there were statistically significant differences at a = 0.05 in learning styles among students due to the use of the computer. In the light of findings of the study, the researchers recommended a diversity in the styles used in teaching English, such as changing the seating of students in classes, introduction of creative activities and the use of audio-visual aids, which suit learning styles used by students in their learning of English. Further, the researchers recommended the introduction of computer as a compulsory course in Department of English and Teaching Methods Department given its effective role in making students depend on themselves to improve their proficiency in the language. The researchers also suggest that a study be conducted at other universities to identify the learning styles used by students in the learning of English and the relationship between these styles and student's personality.

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