The Learning Styles of Technical Students and Their Role in Learning English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

The paper presents the results of mixed-methods research into the English language learning styles of a sample group of students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication (FEEC) of the Brno University of Technology (BUT). In the quantitative phase of the research, students were questioned using an adapted Ehrman and Leaver Questionnaire (2003) with a bipolar scale of ten learning styles to identify commonly shared dimensions of learning styles of English among the sample group. The questionnaire also determined how flexible or rigid students were in their preferences and identified students with strong preferences for particular dimensions. The research then moved to a qualitative phase in which selected students who had stated a preference for commonly shared learning styles in the questionnaire were asked to participate in a semi-structured interview in which they discussed how their learning styles are reflected in their experiences of learning English and evaluated the success of their chosen approaches. Students were also asked about their willingness to change their learning styles if they had failed to make progress. The interviews offered valuable insight into students’ learning preferences, with most students showing rigidity in their learning styles.The paper presents the results of mixed-methods research into the English language learning styles of a sample group of students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication (FEEC) of the Brno University of Technology (BUT). In the quantitative phase of the research, students were questioned using an adapted Ehrman and Leaver Questionnaire (2003) with a bipolar scale of ten learning styles to identify commonly shared dimensions of learning styles of English among the sample group. The questionnaire also determined how flexible or rigid students were in their preferences and identified students with strong preferences for particular dimensions. The research then moved to a qualitative phase in which selected students who had stated a preference for commonly shared learning styles in the questionnaire were asked to participate in a semi-structured interview in which they discussed how their learning styles are reflected in their experiences of learning English and evaluated the success of their chosen approaches. Students were also asked about their willingness to change their learning styles if they had failed to make progress. The interviews offered valuable insight into students’ learning preferences, with most students showing rigidity in their learning styles.