An Investigation Into English Postgraduates' Perceptual Learning Style Preference In English Learning Under Network Multimedia Environment

In second language acquisition research, learning style is an important factor that affects learner's individual difference in second language learning. Learning style,featuring habitual and stable, however, is influenced by the environment. Learners tend to form fresh learning styles if they are immersed in a new environment and need to adjust to it. Thus, research on learning style should take the differences of current situation into consideration. A great deal of research at home and abroad has been conducted on learning styles under the conventional classroom or learning methods,nevertheless, few studies have probed into them under a specific learning environment like network multimedia environment, and almost no investigation into the learning styles of English postgraduates.Perceptual learning style serving as the subscale of learning style matches perfectly with the sensory stimulus created by network multimedia environment. In view of this, the present study, based on the perceptual learning style preference questionnaire (Reid, 1984) and other prior research achievements relating to learning styles, attempts to investigate English postgraduates' perceptual learning style preference in English learning under the circumstance of network multimedia, with the aim of filling the hiatus in the research field of learning style. The study centers on the following two major research questions:(1) What's the current situation of English postgraduates on English learning through the Internet and multimedia? Why?(2) What are the perceptual learning style preferences among English postgraduates in the network multimedia environment? Why?The 133 English postgraduates studying in Central China Normal University are subjects for the investigation. The questionnaire and the interview were adopted as the research instruments. At first, the 133 students participated in the survey of questionnaire, and then 12 of them accepted the interviews.Findings corresponding to the research questions are summarized as follows:(1) Generally, English postgraduates in CCNU frequently use multimedia and the Internet to learn English, such as mobile phone and laptop, and the attitude towards network multimedia is positive and critical. On the one hand, vast majority of the English postgraduates maintain that the modem learning environment owns lots of advantages, for example, it is interesting, convenient, fast, full of all kinds of materials,beyond the limits of time and place, time-saving and effort-saving, and helps autonomous and interactive learning. On the other hand, a small number of students hold the view that network multimedia learning brims with temptation and distraction,and does harm to the health of eyes.(2) Under the web-based learning, First, English postgraduates do not possess minor learning style preferences for any of the five learning styles. For one thing, due to the personal experiences of learning and working, English postgraduates cannot totally accommodate themselves to web-based learning; for another, the fast-paced learning mode of E-learning results in the loss of productive habit of mind,independent and systematic learning,and face-to-face connection. Second, English postgraduates present an unequal level of learning style preference among the five learning styles. On the one hand, visual, auditory and group learning styles are their major learning style preferences. It is the practice of basic English skills (listening,speaking, reading and writing) and the abundant reading and listening resource on the Internet that lead to the preferences for reading and listening; additionally, the nature of web-based learning in interaction and cooperation makes for the group learning preference. On the other hand, kinesthetic, individual learning styles are negligible learning style preferences. In the first place, under the network-multimedia learning environment without the instruction of teachers and pressure of assignments, English postgraduates do not have the inner motivation to learn through editing documents,making PPTs, taking videos or printing cards and models to learn English; in the second place, individual learning under modern learning environment may lead to headstrong and stagnant state of learning.According to the research findings, some pedagogical implications were proposed to students and teachers alike. Firstly, students and teachers should identify students' learning style preferences; secondly, matching teachers' teaching styles with students' learning styles; last, extending students' learning styles and teachers'teaching styles.