The Effect Of Individual Difference In The Verbalizer-Imager Dimension Of Cognitive Style On EFL Learning For Chinese Students

Although many researchers have examined the role of cognitive style in foreign language achievement, few studies have investigated the Verbal-Imagery construct. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the effect of individual difference in the Verbalizer-Imager dimension of cognitive style on EFL learning for Chinese students. Participants were 330 Chinese students from a primary school, a middle school and a university. Examining the distribution of different cognitive styles in different age groups as well as the correlation between cognitive style in the Verbalizer-Imager dimension and students' EFL achievement, we found out that most Chinese students remained Imagery from childhood to adulthood, and that students' tendency toward either polar of the V-I dimension was not a predictor of EFL learning outcome. The reason for this, we think, is that instructional strategies can be employed to accommodate individual differences in cognitive style, which will lead to enhance EFL learning performance.