A comparative study of students' perceptual learning style preferences and their academic achievement in learning English as a foreign language at Nelson English Language Centre, Myanmar

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptual learning style preferences of students who are learning English as a foreign language at Nelson English Language School (NELC) in Myanmar during academic year 2018. This study was carried out to investigate the level of students’ academic achievement in learning English as a foreign language and to compare the preferred learning styles with their academic achievement. The research was conducted from 26 May to 28 May, 2018 at NELC in Myanmar. As a major source of data collection, the researcher used Reid’s Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ). There were 155 students who responded to the questionnaire and respondents’ return rate was 100%. The data collected from the PLSPQ was analyzed by frequency and percentage, means and standard deviations and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). According to this study, the students preferred mixed learning style the most followed by group learning style, kinesthetic learning style, auditory learning style, visual learning style, tactile learning style and individual learning style respectively. The result of this study showed that there was a very high level of academic achievement of students in NELC and there was no significant difference among students’ academic achievement according to their most preferred learning style. It is strongly recommended that NELC uses this study data to conduct teacher professional development plans and apply differentiated instruction in the classroom to meet the requirements of the students and to create a better learning environment where the students can access to many different learning styles.