A Correlational Study Of Learning Styles And Learning Strategies Of Non-English Majors In Military Academy

Learning strategies are defined as external skills that students use, often consciously, to improve their learning (Reid, 2002). In contrast, learning styles are generally viewed as internally based characteristics, being less malleable than learning strategies (Skehan, 1998). Learning styles refer to the pervasive quality in the learning behavior of an individual that are the basis for the intake and understanding of new information,"the quality that persists though content may change"(Fischer & Fischer, 1979).Despite the marked difference, the two terms are also closely related to each other as a series of empirical researches indicate that learning styles may play significant roles in learners'choice of learning strategies (Ehrman and Oxford 1990; Li, 2006; Littlemore 2001).This study focuses on the relationship between learning styles and language learning strategies of military cadets who major in Information Engineering in China. In present study, the participants consist of 118 second-year undergraduates in a military academy. Two self-reported inventories, the Chinese version of MBTI-G (Myers & McCaulley, 1985) and a SILL questionnaire on the use of learning strategies adapted from Oxford (1990)'s classification system, have been used to examine the students'learning styles and learning strategies respectively.This study is aimed at answering following questions:(1) What are the distributions of learning style and learning strategies of the college level English learners in Chinese military academy?(2) What is the relationship between learning styles and learning strategies of college-level English learners in Chinese military academy?The analyses show that the distribution of learning styles of military cadets is consistent with previous studies on Chinese high school and college students that the overall characteristics of their learning style are Introversion, Feeling, Thinking and Judging (Li, 2006; Wavo, 2005).The general pattern of frequency in strategy use by Chinese Non-English majors is similar to the findings of the previous studies-----more frequent use of compensation, cognitive, strategies than memory and social strategies.This study confirms the hypothesis that there would be a relationship between learning styles and the usage of learning strategies. Judging scale is found as the most influential variable of learning styles which correlates positively with the biggest number of learning strategies.Based on the available research results, it is proposed that teachers should provide instructional strategy or environment compatible with individuals'learning styles to ensure that each style is most responsive. On the other hand, learners should be encouraged to stretch their learning styles by examining and practicing various learning strategies. Learning strategy training also should be carried out to enhance its efficiency with teachers taking students'styles into account.