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Students' Preferences and Learning Styles in Relation to Reading and Writing Strategies at Distance Higher Education

Abstract:

The aim of the present descriptive research study is to determine the students' reading and writing achievement level according to their learning styles, as well as their preferences regarding the reading and writing strategies in English, as a Foreign-Language (EFL) course. This work is a contribution to the debate on the controversial issue about the influence of learning styles on EFL reading and writing skills. The sample for this research was a group of 120 distance-university students (45 males and 75 females) enrolled in an English program. The data-collection instruments used comprised a perceptual learning-style preference questionnaire, reading and writing of online tasks, and a preference questionnaire related to reading and writing strategies, which were planned for the course. The data from the questionnaires and the students' scores were analyzed statistically. The findings revealed that there is a minimal difference in the EFL students' reading and writing achievement across four learning styles. In addition, students prefer reading strategies, such as multiple-choice questions, matching exercises, filling the blanks, and answering open questions. As for writing, the learners preferred strategies that include brainstorming, answering multiple-choice questions, matching, filling in the blanks, and answering open questions. Future researchers are encouraged to conduct studies on the relation of learning styles and EFL reading and writing skills with different levels of EFL proficiency, in order to see whether there are any differences in academic achievements or preferences, regarding the reading and writing strategies in students' learning styles.