Abstract

Educators and psychologists argue that people learn in different ways. In the last 50 years different styles have been identified in learning: Those who learn the best through seeing, those who learn the best through listening and hearing and those who learn the best through moving, doing or touching. This study attempted to find out the relation between learning modes, cognitive styles, and students learning of English as an international and universal language. 119 male grade II high school students were randomly selected and Kolb’s Learning Styles Inventory, LSI, and Witkin’s Group Embedded Figures Test, GEFT, were administered. The results showed that there are significant and positive relationship between field independent cognitive styles, abstract conceptualization, perception continuum and learning of English. Based on findings it is recommended teachers present information in various forms and provide different learning experiences such as books, charts, diagrams, videos, audio cassettes, songs, debates and group work. In this way, all students in a class have an opportunity to learn in the way that best suits with their learning and cognitive styles and increase their learning of English. However, the advantage of knowing what kind of learner you are is that you can study in the way that best suits your styles.