Cognitive and learning styles of Japanese learners and second language proficiency
Cognitive and learning styles of Japanese learners and second language proficiency

Summary/Abstract: Previous studies have suggested that individual differences might play a moderating role in second language (L2) learning. Some researchers have argued that cognitive and learning styles (individual preferences for information processing) are predictive of success in L2 learning, regardless of inconsistent results in empirical research. The present study investigates the cognitive and learning styles of L2 learners and the relationship between their style features and L2 proficiency. Participants were 34 Japanese high school students studying English as a foreign language. Their style characteristics were measured by the self-report questionnaire with eleven style dimensions. Also, they were categorized into three levels of L2 proficiency by the written and oral examinations in the school curriculum. Results showed that more than 70% of the participants were characterized as visual, concrete-sequential, deductive, and reflective learners. Overall, L2 learners’ style differences were not strongly related to L2 proficiency. However, extraverted, global, sharpener/leveler, and field dependence/independence styles positively or negatively influenced the proficiency measures. The relationships between style differences and L2 proficiency levels exhibited both the linear and curvilinear patterns, suggesting that L2 learners might change their styles in order to adapt themselves to the requirements of learning contexts.

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