The role of Learning Styles in Second Language Acquisition*

* I wrote this paper in 2014 when I was doing a master's in ELT 

as a partial requirement to complete a course in SLA. 

I still remember the reaction of happiness produced by my youngest cousin when he reached the babbling stage. Every member of the family got surprised and thought that he was a genius and he was going to speak faster than the rest of the same-aged kids. Later, at the age of two, my little cousin began to pronounce the first compound sentences. Gradually those sentences became more accurate and his speech was easily understood. He grew up being carefully treated by a caring mother who paid close attention to his language acquisition process.

This anecdote made me start reflecting upon second language acquisition itself and, how learners complete a wide range of language tasks in varied ways. In most cases, teachers do not take into account individual differences and it is assumed that most extroverted learners are best language learners. However, in a research study conducted by Ehrman (2008, pp. 61-71) she concluded that the best language learners tend to have introverted personalities, they are intuitive and they are logical and precise thinkers who can exercise judgment. It suggests how important it is to recognize students’ attitudes towards L2 learning. It also shows the advantages of being introverted, intuitive and analytic towards language.

The following paper is based on ideas taken from different authors and research studies that address the topic of learning language styles. Moreover, as a strategy to contextualize those ideas into English language teaching, personal insights product of teaching experience will be pointed out as the essay is presented. Also, easy activities that involve learning styles in the classroom will be explained. To begin with, it is necessary to expose briefly some authors’ definitions of learning styles.

Saville-Troike (2006, p. 87) defines cognitive styles as the individuals’ preferred way of processing: i.e. of perceiving, conceptualizing, organizing, and recalling information. For Larsen-Freeman & Long (1991, p. 192) cognitive style is defined as the preferred way in which individuals process information or approach a task. As can be evidenced, both concepts remark the paramount importance for learners to take advantage of their favorite activities to succeed in learning. In terms of language teaching, I believe teachers should guide their students to identify suitable ways to fulfill a duty. Further, lessons should be more varied and focused on providing a means to enhance learners’ language learning.

Reid (1995, pp. 10-15) claims that student styles are value-neutral; that is, no one style is better than others.  He also points out that students must be encouraged to “stretch” their learning styles so that they will be more empowered in a variety of learning situations. According to that, the learning style that the student adopts does not interfere with their language learning. On the contrary, it is a key aspect to be discovered, regulated and assimilated by the individual. Students should bear in mind the best ways in which learn regarding make the most of it.

As pointed out by Dörneyei & Skehan (2003, p. 590) there is a specific talent for learning foreign languages that have variations between learners. Their work may be related to Robinson (2012) where he argues that higher aptitude for second or foreign language learning predicts more successful adaptation to instructed, or naturalistic exposure to the second language (L2), as measured by demonstrably faster progress in learning and proficiency. In my opinion learners’ aptitude towards language learning and leaning styles should be taken as a group when English lessons are oriented in the EFL classroom.

Regarding emotions Méndez & Peña (2013, pp. 109-124) conclude that language learning is a process replete with negative and positive emotions, thus appropriate management of students’ emotions is necessary for language teachers to enable them to help their students make their emotions work for them and not against them. I think that teachers’ role in the classroom consists of leading their students to identify the characteristics they have as language learners. Through TPR activities where students efficiently respond to stimuli with their bodies, they might be capable of recognizing the effects of anxiety when addressing any language task. A clear and easy form to deal with the topic of anxiety in the EFL classroom appears as follows: Students are seated and queued. A question is asked while a balloon is being inflated close to their ears. Learners are asked to give respond to the question addressed in the least time. Most students won’t probably answer the easiest questions. In contrast, fewer groups will be likely to stay calm while executing the task.

Oxford (2003, pp. 3-8) suggests four dimensions of learning styles. (1) Sensory preferences; referred to the physical, perceptual learning channels with which the students are the most comfortable.  Visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile preferences to learn are framed in this first dimension. (2) Personality types, it has also been called “the psychological type”. This second dimension was divided into four strands: extraverted vs. introverted, intuitive-random vs. sensing-sequential, thinking vs. feeling, closure-oriented/judging vs. open/perceiving. (3) The desired degree of generality, in this third dimension, global or holistic and analytic learners are included. (4) Biological differences have to do with the way learners can learn according to the times of day, the need for food or drink while learning; and the weather conditions, sounds, and comfort they experience.

Gestures, mimics, and body language become effective strategies to be put into consideration by learners when they try to communicate in L2. Teachers should also think of them as ideas to be used in class with their students. Regarding previous entry, Gullberg and McCafferty (2008) as cited by Gass, Behney, & Plonsky (2013, p. 296) assures that gesturing may enhance the comprehensibility of utterances given that there is additional input available to accompany verbal input. That is to say that gestures help learners transfer and retrieve important information without being affected by vocabulary shortage. A very useful activity to be applied in any EFL classroom is called “guess the word”. It aims at encouraging students to guess a word that a classmate tries to express using gestures and body language. Words are avoided during the explanation. This activity fosters learners’ confidence and provides them with other tools to transfer information regardless of the vocabulary unknown.

As cited by Lightbown & Spada (2006, p. 59) When learners express a preference for seeing something or spending more time in a language laboratory we should not assume that their ways of working are wrong, even if they seem to be in conflict with the pedagogical approach we have adopted. Instead, we should encourage learners to use all means available to them. I think that this is the most common mistake English teachers make. We try to frame students as a whole and individual differences are not considered. Nowadays, teachers are asked to be in touch with technologies and a majority of activities the teacher proposes should be based on ICT resources and computer-assisted language learning activities available on the internet.

In a research study carried out by Cuartas Alavarez (2014), he took into account a particular learning style. Students made selective use of L1 to address the different topics within the current English lessons. It was concluded that the selective use of L1 succeeded in enhancing students’ English learning processes within the particular EFL context in which this study took place, as well as in improving students’ class performance, their levels of confidence, their language use, the classroom environment, and the students’ attitudes toward learning English. As L1 cannot be avoided in learners’ first language acquisition stages, the study clearly suggests that the mother tongue is crucial to make comparisons, translations and deep explanations while acquiring L2.

Bonilla (2012) affirms that teachers should follow a dialogic process of building classroom strategies that favor reflection, creativity and critical viewpoints of multiple aspects involved; a process that has to do with the permanent reflection in which emergent situations can provoke adequate changes to improve any pedagogical action. That explains why it is necessary to establish an efficient and strongly founded the communicative approach with students in the class. Instead of imposing a task, it is highly recommended to negotiate with students the activities they would like to experience in class.

Also, students’ opinions are fundamental for them to have a successful English learning process. Furthermore, Guevara & Ordoñez (2012) report that it is necessary to encourage real communication from the start and to use students’ participation in pedagogical decision making. Taking into account their interests and ideas is essential for them to learn that the foreign language can be useful to communicate and that this can be interesting and enjoyable. I think that lessons should be planned to have in mind the communicative approach. Students need to be aware of the importance of communicating in English since the early stages.

Even during the silent period, lessons must be planned to make use of activities that provide students with input; as described by Krashen (1982) states that the input hypothesis is related to acquisition instead of learning. He also claims that we acquire by understanding a language that contains structure a bit beyond our current level of competence (i+1). This is done with the help of context or extra-linguistic information.

Abella & Salinas (2006, pp. 124-125) carried out a case study aimed to explore learning styles of low achievers; they found that activities that involve the fun element for learning were part of the environment for exploring learning styles. They also recognized that students’ differences were fundamental for implementing class activities and these created a pleasant learning environment. It was also affirmed that classes are full of students with mixed abilities and ways of learning; teachers can take advantage of that to plan more motivating classes. It clearly shows the role of negotiation of strategies with students. Strategies based on their needs and common interests should become the cornerstone of any lesson plan.

 I believe language instructors should be able to set a peaceful classroom environment that motivates and lowers learners’ anxiety towards learning and interaction. This empowers students towards their active participation in each stage of the class. One of these strategies is the use of songs in the classroom. It appears to be a great tool for learners with sensory preferences to internalize input. It is evidenced in an action research study conducted by Chávarro & Losada (2013) they found that students’ motivation improved when songs were used as a source of real language. They also concluded that applying songs in the EFL classroom fosters students’ acquisition of new words and encourages students to make use of the target language. They applied the study in sixth-grade students at a public school in Neiva, Huila, Colombia. The project was applied to 42 participants. However, only six students were chosen as the sample. The results, findings, and conclusions were formulated based on certain learners’ characteristics such as motivation, anxiety and language proficiency.

On the other hand, new methods are being implemented around the globe as an innovative mechanism to promote critical thinking and raise awareness among students about common issues. Marsh (1994) as cited in (Pérez, 2011) refers CLIL (Content Language and Integrated Learning)  to those situations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual-focused aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language'. CLIL methodology is likely to be a good resource to care for global or holistic and analytic learners’ preferences. It involves culture, content, context, and communication as a group of aspects needed to analyze language and a subject taught in a foreign language. Muñoz-Luna (2014, pp. 167-180) in her investigation found that the complete acquisition of linguistic communicative competence in the L2 includes the mastery of several domains that cover extra-linguistic issues and CLIL provides a meaningful environment in which to combine linguistic and discipline-specific contexts. CLIL attempts to reinforce content from subjects like chemistry, literature, Global perspectives, etc. English language form and meaning are studied and reviewed while reflections about other subjects are being developed.

After having gone deeply into the topic of language learning styles, I can assure that the research studies conducted in this field in Colombia are very limited. That is the reason why I found it highly interesting and challenging. It comes up the need to carry out an action research study, defined by Chamot, Barnhardt, & Dirstine (1998 ) as classroom-based research conducted by teachers to reflect upon and evolve their teaching. It is a systematic, documented inquiry into one aspect of teaching and learning in a specific classroom. The purpose of teacher research is to gain an understanding of teaching and learning within one’s classroom and to use that knowledge to increase teaching efficacy/student learning.

The research study will be oriented towards the field of learning styles in the EFL classroom to promote the development of speaking skills in young adults. The research question initially thought will be “how does the design and application of an English language course syllabus based on language learning styles promote the development of oral skills in English in first semester students of The Foreign Languages-English Program at Universidad Surcolombiana?”

Students from the first semester of the Foreign Languages-English Program at Universidad Surcolombiana will be selected as the participants in this study. They are chosen for compelling certain characteristics such as: as they are part of a regional, public university, their birthplaces are varied. They come not only form Neiva but from other different municipalities of the rural area of Huila. Their accents are varied. Their likes are possible to be different, owing to the context where they come from, and the schools where they previously studied. There is also a common purpose in their major: they are highly motivated to learn English as a foreign language. It also suggests that they have different language learning styles. In fact, they surely need to be informed about them. Surely, students need to identify their learning styles to enhance their learning process. 

The data collection techniques will be (1) a general survey will be applied at the beginning of the course. It will be designed to gather valuable information related to students’ language strategies to learn English, likes and preferred activities. (2) Lessons will be constantly observed by another English teacher who will write reports where strengths and areas to consider during the application of the course syllabus will be pointed out. After every application of the project, both teachers (who apply and the observer) will meet to discuss, socialize and recognize strengths and areas to work on. (3) Reflective teaching diary, after each English lesson, the investigator will write a journal where he will point out the development of the class, students’ participation, strategies used and the possible difficulties or gaps experienced. (4) Oral interviews will be conducted at the beginning and at the end of the course. The interviews will be recorded to be carefully analyzed later by the investigator. It aims at assessing learners’ English proficiency before and after the development of the course. (5) Video-recordings will be daily filmed as an instrument to analyze learner’s attitudes, interests, and participation in the class.

First, lessons will be observed for one week and daily reports will be written. Then, a general survey will be applied to students as a mean to recognize students’ likes and preferred activities to learn English. After that, the investigator will plan a lesson including varied activities that cope with students learning styles (singing along, describing big colorful pictures, acting and dancing, guessing, matching, making predictions, analyzing though-provoking elementary level text, and so on.) The lesson will be recorded and analyzed to reflect on students’ performance while they were developing the tasks. Later, a course syllabus will be designed according to the findings of the lesson and taking into account the CEFR, the guidelines, and requirements from Universidad Surcolombiana. During the action stage, six lessons will be recorded, tests will be prepared and observation will be done. Finally, in the evaluation stage, the instruments applied and the information gathered will be triangulated to draw results, findings, conclusions and the pedagogical implications of the study.

In sum, language learning styles are preferred ways in which learners develop a task (Reid, 1995). There is also a talent for learning foreign languages (Dörneyei & Skehan, 2003). For instance, Oxford (2003) shows a very well structured and defined classification of learning styles that frame learners into four big groups, according to their sensory preferences, personality, desires, and biological differences. Teachers are in charge of guiding learners into the process of identifying their learning styles. Further, mixed groups with different learning styles might work cooperatively to succeed (Abella & Salinas, 2006). Teachers also are asked to plan lessons in which interesting and interactive strategies are used. Communication should be the outcome. Finally, research on the field of language learning styles is limited in Colombia. An action research study is thought to be carried out.

References

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Bonilla, X. (2012). TEFL Educational Principles: a Proposal for Changing Times. Colombian Linguistics Applied Journal, 14(2), 181-192.

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Chávarro, S. A., & Losada, J. J. (2013). Motivating Sixth Graders Towards Speaking English thorugh Songs. Reflexiones Pedagógicas, 7, 50-54.

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