Oxford, R. L., Holloway, M. E., & Horton-Murillo, D., (1992) “Language learning styles: Research and practical considerations for teaching in the multicultural tertiary ESL/EFL classroom”. (Journal article)
In this article, Oxford et al. consider the negative effects of not dealing with students’ language learning styles in the classroom. They analyse six cases of “style wars”. That is, the clash between teachers’ learning and teaching styles and students’ learning styles. In the cases studied the emphasis is on the cross-cultural origin of the conflict, implying that the learning styles in confrontation are determined by the cultural background of the teacher and the student. The purpose of the research is to provide a guide on how to minimize teacher-student style disparities in the multicultural post-secondary ESL/EFL classroom.
In this study, the researchers took into account the following learning style dimensions in order to help the participants to describe their problem in a free-writing exercise on the topic “teacher-student style wars”:
- Global and analytic
- Field-dependent and field-independent
- Feeling and thinking
- Impulsive and reflective
- Intuitive-random and concrete-sequential
- Closure-oriented and open
- Extroverted and introverted
- Visual, auditory, and hands-on (tactile and kinesthetic)
These dimensions and the strategies associated with them are explained, indicating the cultural communities in which they prevail. Thus, some generalizations are suggested. For example, Hispanic ESL/EFL students are expected to be global and feeling oriented, as well as field-dependent. Korean and Arabic speaker students tend to use rote memorization, a strategy linked to concrete-sequential styles. But, while Korean students are highly visual, Arabic speakers are more auditory.
As for this study, the cases are presented under the header “Example” and identified with letters. The name, cultural and academic background of each participant is provided. A diagnosis paragraph puts the problem in terms of learning style dimensions. Finally, the description of the participant is offered without modifications. The cases, in brief, are:
Example A: Male American teacher vs. Female Korean student. Example B: Male American teacher vs. Male Chinese student. Example C: Female Chinese teacher vs. Female American student. Example D: Male American teacher vs. Female Latin American Student. Example E: Male American teacher vs. Chinese students. Example F: Male Japanese teacher vs. Japanese students. The last two cases describe the experience of teachers who consciously decided to use teaching strategies in conflict with their own learning style. They attempted to overcome their own style preferences in order to adapt their teaching to a certain instructional theory, instead of adapting it to their students’ styles.
The recommendations for teachers to optimize styles in the multicultural ESL/EFL classroom at the post-secondary level are:
- Assess the learning style of both teacher and students through discussions where students become aware of the variety of styles presented in the classroom.
- Alter the teaching style in order to create teacher-student style matching through a wide range of activities that meet the needs of different learning styles.
- Provide activities with different groupings, accommodating students with different learning styles to foster cooperative learning.
- Include and code different learning styles in lesson plans, making sure that all the students will work on an activity corresponding to their learning preferences.
- Encourage changes in student’s behaviours and foster guided style-stretching by incorporating strategy instruction into classroom activities.
- Prepare an ESL/EFL learning environment that welcomes and accommodates a variety of styles and cultures.
- Gather exciting displays reflecting different styles and cultures.
- Improve the physical setting, for example, by rearranging furniture or creating “learning corners” with different themes.
- Leave the classroom occasionally. Prepare an outdoor class or take the class somewhere else.
- Change the way style conflicts are viewed. Help the students to see style differences as opportunities to grow.
The authors conclude that “facing style differences directly and helping all participants become aware of their own styles –often related to cultural values- will enhance the creativity, inclusiveness, and effectiveness of the classroom experience” (p.455).
