A Contrastive Study Of English Learning Styles Between Han And Uygur Students In Xinjiang University

With the great emphasis on individual differences in recent years, learning style,as one important aspect, has received more and more attention. Many westernscholars such as Reid (1987) and Keefe (1982) have conducted a number ofinvestigations; with the basis on the western research results, Chinese researcherssuch as Tan Dingliang (1995) and Yu Xinle (1997) also try to further the study onlearning style. However, the subjects in most of the studies in China are Han learners,little research has been done on Uygur learners and on the comparison between Hanand Uygur learners.This study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.Subjects in this study are174sophomores from Xinjiang University, among which88are Han sophomores and86are Uygur sophomores. The learning style questionnaire,employed in this study, is the one adapted by a research group with Professor MaoXiaomei as the leader in Xi'an Jiaotong University. The software SPSS17.0is used toprocess the data collected from questionnaires. Eighteen students, which consist of9Han students and9Uygur students, are interviewed in the form of semi-structure toinvestigate the possible contributing factors which may explain the preferences ofHan and Uygur students' learning styles.The following are the research questions of this thesis:(1) What is the learningstyle profile of Han students in Xinjiang University?(2) What is the learning styleprofile of Uygur students in Xinjiang University?(3) What are the commonalities anddifferences in the preferences of learning styles between Han and Uygur students?(4)What are the possible contributing factors that influence the commonalities anddifferences in the preferences of learning styles of Han and Uygur students?The major results of this thesis are presented as follows:(1) Han subjects havemultiple learning styles preferences; among the thirteen learning styles, reflectivelearning style is the most preferred one for them, while impulsive learning style is theleast preferred one;(2) Uygur subjects possess a variety of learning styles; among thethirteen learning styles, they prefer independent learning style most, and impulsive learning style least;(3) Both Han and Uygur students have multiple learning styles;statistically significant differences between these two groups lie in eight learningstyles, which are auditory, hand-on, independent, group-oriented, analytical, holist,random and impulsive learning styles;(4) Such factors as personal characteristics,family circumstances, school education and culture might contribute to thepreferences of Han and Uygur students' learning styles.The investigation of Han and Uygur students' general learning style tendencies,their commonalities and differences, and the possible contributing factors for theirlearning style preferences has enriched the studies of learning style between differentgroups. It is of help to both university teachers' English teaching and Han and Uygurundergraduates' English learning in Xinjiang.