Choose Your Learning Styles: Get Success in Exam
Various models of learning styles have been created and are utilized in EFL instruction. VARK model is one of these models. Fleming made the VARK model suggestion (2001). VARK is a questionnaire that offers users a profile of their preferred methods of learning.
Numerous elements that contribute to some of the individual learning differences have been found through educational research. One of these factors that is of great interest in the field of education is learning styles. The idea of unique "learning styles" was first introduced in the 1970s. It has recently grown in popularity and has caused a lot of L2 students to worry. There have been numerous definitions of learning style(s) that have been provided by various academics in a variety of methods. They were described, for instance, as general strategies employed by students to learn a new subject or to deal with a new situation.
In order to learn effectively, students must apply their chosen methods of information processing within the framework of their learning styles. The same teaching and learning techniques may be beneficial for some students and ineffective for others depending on their learning style, which is a biologically and developmentaly imposed collection of personal traits. The analysis of the literature reveals that some individuals favor a single mode of learning (such as visual), while others tend to favor integrated ways of learning (e.g., auditory plus visual). For recognizing the internal and external variances in how different learners acquire and process information, the concept of learning style is highly helpful. Additionally, he thinks that learning preferences can improve students' interactions in classroom settings.
Learning preferences now appear to have a significant impact on students' academic performance. Fleming made the VARK model suggestion (2001). A person's qualities and preferred methods of gathering, organizing, and thinking about knowledge are referred to as their learning style. Because it deals with perceptual modes, VARK falls under the category of instructional preference, according to Fleming (2001). (p.1). VARK is an acronym for visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic (K). Maps, charts, graphs, diagrams, highlighters, various colors, images, word visuals, and different spatial arrangements are preferred by visual learners, according to Fleming (2001). Aural learners enjoy attending lectures, using a tape recorder, explaining new concepts to others, engaging in conversation with peers and lecturers, and making jokes in discussion groups.
Lists, essays, reports, textbooks, definitions, printed handouts, readings, web pages, and taking notes are preferred by read/write learners. Field trips, trial-and-error learning, doing things to understand them, laboratories, recipes, and problem-solving techniques are all favorites of kinesthetic learners. They also enjoy utilizing their senses, making collections, and taking samples. Although VARK is a crucial paradigm for enhancing foreign language instruction, its impact on Iranian tertiary students (undergraduates at universities) who take general English classes has not been adequately studied. Furthermore, it is unknown if Iranian undergraduate students of various majors choose the same learning technique or not, and it is also unknown what the predominate learning style is. Additionally, it is unknown if the students' preferred method of learning has an impact on how well they speak the language.
a person's preferred method of obtaining, remembering, and processing information. Learning styles are the distinctive behaviors that learners use to adapt to their surroundings. According to Keefe and Ferrell (1990), learning styles are "the composite of typical cognitive, affective, and physiological variables that serve as generally stable indications of how a learner sees, interacts with, and responds to the learning environment."
Learning methods and cognitive approaches used by various pupils vary, which is related to learning styles. According to the Fleming (2006) VARK model of learning, there are four main types of learning: visual, aural, read-and-write, and kinesthetic (K). Visual (V) learners pick up knowledge by looking at and observing examples.
The many learning styles that people employ in order to acquire knowledge are discussed in learning style theories. Zepeda and Mayers (2004) compared Carl Jung's 1927 theories of learning styles to them. The extent of an individual's approach to studying various courses or topics is described by learning style theories. The basis and presumptions of various learning style theories differ from one another. Each learning style theory's fundamental principles differ from one another and have an impact on students' attitudes toward learning. However, the following learning styles—Kolb Experiential Learning Theory, Dunn and Dunn, VAK, Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model, Gregorc Model, and VARK model—will be the emphasis of this thesis. These theories are regarded as the ones that are applied in educational research the most frequently.
Based on Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory, which claims that learning occurs in four stages, each with a preferred individual learning style, this learning style was developed (Sirin & Guzel, 2006). Kolb (1984) claims that the term "experiential" is used to describe his approach to learning in order to underline the essential role that experience plays in the learning process as well as to "connect it clearly to its philosophical beginnings in the work of Dewey, Lewin, and Piaget."
The model illustrated the four stages of a learning cycle identified by Kolb (1976, 1984) as Concrete Experience (CE), Reflection Observation (RO), Abstract Conceptualization (AC), and Active Experimentation (AE). A person learns by active participation in an activity, which is known as a concrete experience.
On the other hand, reflective observation describes the learning process where a person learns to reflect consciously on the activity. Abstract conceptualization is the process of learning whereby a person is exposed to a theory or model that must be observed. The learning process where someone learns by testing a theory or model is referred to as active experimentation. Additionally, it is claimed that every person has unique capabilities within each of the four stages, which form the basis of his preferred learning method (Bell & Griffin 2007).
The four categories of learners identified by the Kolb learning style theory are divergers, assimilators, convergers, and accommodators. The four types of learners were described by Dornyei (2005) as extreme and pure cases because each learner may exhibit traits from all four types. Learners who fall between concrete experience and reflecting observation are classified as divergers or reflectors, according to Kolb, Boyatzis, and Mainemelis (2000).
The VAK theory, also referred to as VAKT, stands for visual (V), auditory (A), kinaesthetic (K), and tactile (T). It is regarded as one of the classic learning theories in the educational area (Mackay, 2007). According to Dunegan (2008), the initial iteration of VAK was created in 1920 by psychologists and educational experts such Fernald, Keller, Orton, Gillingham, Stillman, and Montessori. A VAK learning approach is centered on the student obtaining visual, hearing, and touch input, according to Federal Aviation Administration (2009). A VAK learning style, according to Miller (2001), is a perceptual, instructional preference model that groups students based on their preferred sensory input. The Intel Corporation (2007) stated that this hypothesis has established itself as a well-liked and straightforward method of identifying various learning styles.
According to Dreeben (2010), the use of VAK evaluation in the educational setting is strongly supported by its practical style, which involves asking students how they receive knowledge. The VAK model can be used to help incorporate various learning strategies into classroom instruction and activities, according to Byrnes (2010) (p. 4). According to the VAK learning style model, Mackay (2007) hypothesized that the majority of people have a leading learning style that may be compatible with other preferences. According to a research by Willis and Hodson (1999) utilizing the VAK theory, 37% of students in elementary and high school are kinesthetic learners, 29% are visual learners, and 39% are auditory learners.