Learning Styles, Learner Strategies, and Motivation in Second Language Learning
Date: Saturday, Nov. 10th, 2007
Presenter: Andrew D. Cohen, University of Minnesota
Summary of the study
I. Learning Style Preferences
1. The learners' typical preferences for approaching learning.
2. While style preferences are relatively stable, style-stretching us possible.
II. Examples of Learning Style Preferences
1. Visual
2. Auditory
3. Hands-on
4. Extroverted—enjoying a wide range of social, interactive learning tasks.
5. Introverted—preferring more independent work, e.g., studying or reading by oneself or learning with computers
6. Abstract-intuitive—future oriented, enjoying abstract thinking, and happy speculating about possibilities.
7. Concrete-sequential—present oriented, preferring one-step-at-a-time activities and wanting to know where they are going in their learning at every moment.
8. Keeping all options open—enjoying discover learning where information is picked up naturally and where learning doesn’t involve a concern for deadlines or rules.
9. Closure-oriented—focusing carefully on all learning tasks and seek clarity.
10. More global—enjoying getting the main idea
11. More particular—focusing more on details and remembering specific information about a topic well.
12. More synthesizing—summarizing material well and noticing similarities quickly.
13. More analytic—doing well on logical analysis and contrast tasks, and tending to focus on grammar rules.
14. More field-dependent—needing context and taking each language part one at a time.
15. More field-independent—able to keep a sense of the whole while handing all the individual parts as well without being distracted.
16. More reflective—processing material at a low speed with high accuracy; avoiding risks and guessing. They like to repeat sentences and think over and over before speak.
17. More impulsive
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Summary Table of Learning Style Preferences
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Visual « auditory «hands on
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Extroverted « introverted
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Abstract-intuitive « concrete-sequential
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Open « closure-oriented
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Global « particular
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Synthesizing « analytic
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Field-dependent « field-independent
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Reflective « impulsive
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Reference:
‧A Learning Style Survey: Assessing Your Own Learning Styles by Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, & Julie C. Chi (2001)—downloadable from the CARLA website at: http://www.carla.umn.edu/about/profiles/CohenPapers/LearningStylesSurvey.pdf
‧Ehrman, M. E. & Leaver, B. L. (1997). Sorting our global and analytic functions in second language learning. Paper presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics annual meeting, Orlando, FL. March 8-11, 1997.
‧ Oxford , R. L. (1995). Style Analysis Survey. In J. Reid (Ed.), Learning Styles in EFL/ESL Classroom (pp. 208-215). Boston : Heinle & Heinle/Tomson International.
‧Ehrman, M. E. & Leaver, B. L. (2001). E & L Questionnaire.
‧For a critical view of strategies, please see Ch.5, “Learning Styles and cognitive styles” in Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner (pp. 120-161). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
III. Ways to Classify Learner Strategies
1. By goal: Language learning strategies (e.g., identifying, distinguishing, grouping, memorizing strategies) or language use strategies (e.g., retrieving, rehearsal, communicative, and cover strategies).
2. By function: Metacognitive, cognitive, affective, or social strategies.
3. By skill: 4 skills + translation strategy
4. Other: Strategies by proficient levels, by specific cultures (local graphic character of Chinese or some cultures are gender languages), or by specific languages.
IV. Concern about Motivation
--Taking Motivational Temperature
Teacher & Learner Roles in Sustaining Learner Motivation Across Tasks
Teacher & Learner Roles in Sustaining Learner Motivation Across Tasks
Teacher Roles:
1. Assisting learners in self-assessment of style and strategy preferences and motivational temperature.
2. Coaching learners to make the best use of their style and strategy knowledge on an ongoing basis.
3. Selecting classroom tasks that explicitly cater to the panoply of learner style and strategy preferences witnessed in their class and that are most likely to sustain learner motivation.
Learner Roles:
1. Taking responsibility for identifying their own learning style and language strategy preferences through surveys.
2. Identifying the actual strategies that they will use, given their style preferences.
3. Taking their own motivational temperature from time to time.
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