Learning Styles of ESL Students in a Modern Languages Undergraduate Program: Matching Student Preferences and Teaching Materials

The present study investigated learning styles of English as a Second Language (ESL) students in a Modern Languages Undergraduate Program, conducting a quantitative research utilizing an adapted VARK questionnaire with the purpose of revealing some patterns and regularities through pupils’ scores that depend on the fact whether their styles are matched or not. The questionnaire was presented to 32 respondents during the second semester of 2019-2020 academic year. The study demonstrated that most of the ESL students are kinaesthetic, their styles are mostly matched, and their performance depends on it. These results contribute to the simplification and enhancement of the Foreign language (FL) teaching process as teachers become aware of the fact that students’ motivation, behaviour, attitudes, and performance depend on the degree to which their styles are matched. Moreover, this paper present recommendations for finding and matching learning styles and choosing teaching materials. Keywords: learning styles, cognitive styles, ESL students, FL teaching, VARK questionnaire, matching learning styles, higher education, individual differences, motivation