| dc.description.abstract | This study investigated linkages between the learning
styles and gender and achievement in English among students
in North Sulawesi Adventist boarding schools, Indonesia. In
doing so, it sought to contribute to a better theoretical
understanding of the students, learning styles in order to
enhance the learning of English as a second language.
The instrument used was the Perceptual Learning Style
Preference Questionnaire (Reid, 1995) and its subscale:
visual learning style, auditory learninq style, kinesthetic
learning style, tactile learnirg style, group learning
style, and individual learning style. Data analysis
emlployed descriptive, comparative, and correlational
methods with 180 respondents. In selecting the sample, the
convenience sampling was used.
The findings were as follows:
1. Among the 180 students, there were 82 males and 98
females.
2. Of the 180 students, 55 had visual learning styie;
12 had auditory learning style; 35 had kinesthetic iearning
style; 14 had tactile learning style; 60 had group learning
style; and 4 had individual learning style.
3. There were 25 out of the total 180 students who
had experience English tutoring and stayed in an English-
speaking context.
4. Of the 180 students, 88 were outstanding, 90 were
good, and only 2 were weak.
5. The English grade was not affected by the
students' learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic,
tactile, group, and individual).
6. The English grade was not affected by the gender.
Male and female had the same ability of learning, although
they may vary in learning styles.
7. There was a relationship between the learning
styles and gender. Male students' learning styles were
dominant on group learning style and kinesthetic learning
style, and female students' learning styles were dominant
on visual learning style and group learning style.
Recommendations are that parents and tutors of English
students should accept gender-related differences. It is
appropriate to emphasize what useful skiIls and attitudes
can people of different styles learn from each other, both
across and within gender boundaries. Cooperative learning
needs to be implemented in the teaching and learning
process in the schools. Students need to appreciate their
own learning styles by accepting it as a gift of God, since
whatever learning style they have will not contribute to
nor lessen their ability to learn the English language.
School administrators should work cooperativety with
teachers in seeking to create a conducive climate for those
with visual, kinesthetic, and group learning styles in
their school. Curriculum planners should develop a
curriculum that stresses on group work that enables
students to take active parts in dramas, games, role-plays,
projects interviews, and opinion exchanges as teams. A
curriculum that stresses on visual channel through the use
of bulletin boards, diagrams, charts, pictures, videos, and
movies should also be designed to help students learn better.
Educational promoters need to work closely with the
textbook designers and publishers in order to include a
wider variety of group activities in the design of the
textbooks. In doing so they could target a wider variety of
learners according to God's plan for His people. | en_US |
