A Survey On English Perceptual Learning Styles Of Normal Students Of Non-English Major

With the development of learner-centered education mode, researchers and teachers pay more and more interest to language learners’ individual differences. Foreign language learners’ learning style is one of the key variables that make differences in the process and product of foreign language learning. Therefore, learning styles have aroused great attention among language researchers.This thesis consults main research result on perceptual learning style both abroad and in China, and discusses the perceptual learning styles of normal students of non-English majors in Guangxi Normal University. It aims to discuss the following problems:(1) the perceptual learning style distributions of normal students of non-English majors in a Guangxi Normal University; (2) gender differences in perceptual learning style preferences; (3) the relationship exists between the students’ learning styles and their foreign language proficiency and the differences in perceptual learning styles between high achievers and low achievers. Findings from this study are supposed to promote instructors to teach and students to learn. They can also add to the corpus of data profiling the learning style of Chinese students.Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are adopted in the present study. The author used questionnaire for quantitative study. The subjects were 173 sophomores and juniors non-English majors from Guangxi Normal University. The questionnaire survey is consisting of personal information and 30 statements stated in Reid’s (1984) Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire. The author used SPSS 17.0 to analyze the quantitative data. In order to carry out the answers listed above to the three main questions, the researcher worked out descriptive statistics, conducted independent sample T-test and correlation analyses. For the qualitative part,10 students were selected to provide answers to some open-ended questions. Findings from the qualitative study were used to support the quantitative data.This research can draw several findings:(1) all the students have complex and various style preferences. Kinesthetic learning style is the most popular preference and group learning style is the less one; (2) no significant gender differences in perceptual learning style preferences. Both male students and female students like kinesthetic learning style most. Male students dislike individual learning style most and female students dislike group learning style most; (3) there is a weak correlation between learning styles and foreign language proficiency. Visual, kinesthetic and group learning style had negative relationship with the EFL students’ foreign language proficiency. That means, the students with low proficiency prefer visual, kinesthetic and group learning style and vice versa.Based on the results, some implications can be drawn for EFL teaching in China. First of all, teachers should raise the awareness of their students’ learning style and respect the learners’different preferences. They should also advise students to add their styles pattern and exchange appropriate styles. And secondly, teachers need to help students diagnose and richen their learning style with comprehensive and various teaching methods. Finally, teachers should mach teaching style with learning style and expand their learning style.