Authors : Lee Mei Ph’ng, Thang Siew Ming and Radha M.K. Nambiar
Abstract: Much emphasis and effort have been put on creating meaningful learning experiences for learners. Today, diversity among learners and teaching staff has led to diversity in their teaching styles and learning styles preferences. Not much has been documented on the interaction between teaching styles and learning styles, particularly in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classroom. Studies have generally examined these two phenomena in separate contexts. Thus, this study aims to identify the learning styles preferences of five engineering undergraduates and examine how their technical communication lecturer’s teaching styles have impacted the students’ learning experiences. Of particular interest is what occurs when the lecturer’s teaching styles mismatches the students’ learning styles preferences. The index of learning styles was used to identify the students’ learning styles preferences while the teaching style survey was used to identify the lecturer’s teaching styles preferences. The students were also interviewed and requested to write reflective journals of their learning experiences. Data analysis indicated diversity in terms of their learning styles and teaching styles preferences. The implications of this study indicate that students’ learning styles preferences should be taken into consideration when selecting teaching strategies.
Lee Mei Ph’ng, Thang Siew Ming and Radha M.K. Nambiar, 2016. Match or Mismatch: Teaching Styles and Learning Styles in an ESP Classroom. The Social Sciences, 11: 2977-2982.