a profile of korean efl students learning beliefs, styles and preferences

1. 4:01 PM Slide number 1 A Profile of Korean EFL Students� Learning Beliefs, Styles and Preferences Dr. Andrew Finch

2. Slide number 2

3. Slide number 3 The situation College students receiving instruction which reflected their preferred learning styles scored higher on tests (in terms of factual knowledge, attitude, and efficiency). (Domino, 1979) Approximately 90% of traditional classroom instruction is geared to the auditory learner. (Hodges, 1982, pp. 30-31)

4. Slide number 4 The situation 90% of the students with normal ability can learn 90% of the material 90% of the time if the teaching methods and media are adjusted to the student�s educational cognitivestyle. (Hill, 1976, p. 3) Teachers tend to give higher grades to students who have the same field style as they do (Hansen-Strain, 1989, p. 224)

5. Slide number 5 Introduction Individuals vary in the strategies they employ because of differences in learning styles, affective styles, and cognitive styles. Dunn & Dunn (1979) identify perceptual learning modalities: visual learning: reading, studying charts; auditory learning: listening to lectures, audiotapes; kinaesthetic learning: experiential learning - total physical involvement with a learning situation; tactile learning: �hands-on� learning, such as building models or doing laboratory experiments.

6. Slide number 6 Research Most research involving Korean students has been carried out in the United States: Hofstede, G. (1986). Cultural differences in teaching and learning. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 10, 301-320. Oxford, R. L. (1986). Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). Various Versions. Tuscaloosa, AL: Oxford Associates. Horwitz, E. K. (1988). The beliefs about language learning of beginning university foreign language students. The Modern Language Journal, 72(3), 283-294.

7. Slide number 7 Research Reid (1987, p. 96) reviewed ESL learning style preferences over nine language backgrounds, finding that Koreans were most visual in their learning style preferences, though they preferred kinaesthetic and tactile learning as major learning styles. Stebbins (1995, p. 111) found that �Korean students strongly preferred visual learning.� Lee (1996) attributed this to the use of largely iconographic language systemsin Asian cultures (hangul ?? and hanmun ??).

8. Slide number 8 Preconceptions The �received truth� about the Asian context has beenthat the learner is generally �an individual who is conditioned by a pattern of cultural forces that are not harmonious to learner autonomy, independence or self-direction� (Pierson, 1996, p. 52; Liu, 1998, p. 5)

9. Slide number 9 Preconceptions However, it has been shown that traditional learning practices and cultural traits may actually contribute to the development of learner autonomy (Ho & Crookall, 1995; Pierson, 1996) Cultural differences may not be the main barrier to thepromotion of the concept of autonomy in countries with a group-oriented tradition such as China. (Little, 1996, p. 46)

10. Slide number 10 Preconceptions The stereotype of Asian students as �obedient listeners� does not reflect the roles they would like to adopt in class. They do not see the teacher as an authority figure who should not be questioned; they do not want to sit in class passively receiving knowledge; and they are only slightly on the �agreement� side that the teacher should have a greater role than themselves in evaluating their learning. (Littlewood, 2000, p. 33)

11. Slide number 11 Alternative Perspectives �Educational contexts� are more responsible for Asian learning styles than the learners themselves (Littlewood, 2000, p. 33) The gap between generations of learners of English is becoming more noticeable. (cf. Sakui & Gaies, 1999, p. 488)

12. Slide number 12 The Study For these reasons, this study set out to construct a profile of learning styles, beliefs and preferences of language learners in Korea in the 21st Century. An up to the date profile of EFL students studying in Korea would have implications for materials developmentand for teacher training programs.

13. 4:01 PM Slide number 13 The Study

14. Slide number 14 Method

15. Slide number 15 Method

16. Slide number 16 Research Instruments

17. Slide number 17 BALLI (Horwitz 1986) 1. Learning a language means acquiring a body of knowledge.

18. Slide number 18 BALLI (Horwitz 1986) 8. The role of the teacher is to help students learn how to learn.

19. Slide number 19 BALLI (Horwitz 1986) 17. Some people have a special ability for learning languages.

20. Slide number 20 Conclusions This research presents a profile of a set of Korean EFL students over a certain period of time. It does not claim to be true of all Korean students, but it does show particular trends that can be of interest to teacher trainers and materials designers. These trends reflect the changing nature of education and of student perceptions, beliefs, study strategies and learning preferences in Korea.

21. Slide number 21 Conclusions: Trends BALLI: a movement away from traditional views of language learning and teaching. FLCAS: a growing feeling of comfort in the language classroom (decreasing anxiety). LSI: Twice as many Visual Learners as Auditory Learners. Almost no Tactile Learners. SILL: General raised awareness of learning strategies. MIS: Comparable presence of all 9 intelligences, with Intrapersonal strength being the strongest and Interpersonal strength being the weakest.

22. Slide number 22 Conclusions: Trends CLE: heightened awareness of the significance of the learning environment. CEQ: heightened awareness of the importance of matching preferred and actual learning environments. Self-Assessment, Confidence: students responded positively. Self-Assessment, Motivation: students responded positively.

23. Slide number 23 Thank You The learning Journal English Reflections is available from KNU Press: http://knupress.com/ The author can be contacted by email at: aef @ knu.ac.kr Thank you for your time.