A Correlational Study Of Chinese English Majors' Learning Styles And Learning Strategies

In recent thirty years researchers' and language teachers' attention has been attracted by the research of language learners' learning styles and learning strategies. Many empirical studies have revealed that learning styles and learning strategies are strongly related with each other (Oxford, 1989; Rossi-le, 1989,1995; Oxford and Ehrman, 1995; Shih and Gamon, 2003). Studies concerning this topic have also been undertaken in China. However, problems still exist in this area. The present research is one of the proceedings of the previous research, but the focus is placed on the relationships between learning styles and language learning strategies of Chinese English majors. By employing a learning style questionnaire specially designed for Chinese college students, the current study aims at examining the relationships between learning styles and the use of learning strategies of Chinese English majors, with a consideration of a variable--gender. Specific strategies of Chinese English majors will be described and analyzed in terms of learning style differences and gender so as to examine the relationship to English majors' language development. Thus, the research questions of the study are as follows:1. What are the characteristics of Chinese English majors in terms of learning styles andlearning strategies?2. What is the effect of gender on the development of learning styles and on the use oflearning strategies?3. What are the relationships between learning styles and learning strategies of ChineseEnglish majors?A total of 120 students were required to complete two questionnaires. One was Feng Liguang's Chinese College students' Learning Style Questionnaire, which was used to identify the students' learning style preferences. Another was Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, which was employed to investigate the subjects' language learning strategy preferences.The data analysis of the first questionnaire revealed that students' major learning style preferences were visual learning, mixed brain learning, and sensing learning. The analysis of...