Learning Style among Multi-Ethnic Students in Four Selected Tertiary Institutions in the Klang Valley
Learning style is affected by individual differences such as gender, academic and cultural background (Hyland, 1993). However ethnicity is indicated to be the main factor in influencing learning styles (Park, 2000 and Ewing, 1993). In relation to the above statements, Malaysia, a multiracial coun...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
2006
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/142/1/549001_FPP_2006_1.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/142/ |
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| Summary: | Learning style is affected by individual differences such as gender, academic
and cultural background (Hyland, 1993). However ethnicity is indicated to be
the main factor in influencing learning styles (Park, 2000 and Ewing, 1993). In
relation to the above statements, Malaysia, a multiracial country provides a rich
source of information in finding the relationship between ethnicity and learning
styles. Although the three major races, the Malays, Chinese and Indians, are
given equal opportunities to further their studies in the institutions of higher
learning in the country they were brought up in different cultural backgrounds
that influenced the development of their own style of learning.
This study examined the learning styles of multi-ethnic students’ in four
selected universities in Klang Valley in terms of gender, program of studies and academic achievement levels. Using a modified Honey and Mumford learning
Style Questionnaire, 291 valid responses from two public and private
universities were subjected to further quantitative analyses of the study.
The result of the descriptive analyses revealed that the multi-ethnic students
exhibited all the four learning styles that were Activist, Reflector, Theorist and
Pragmatist style. Reflector style was found to be the most preferred learning
style by the multi-ethnic students while the Activist style was the least
preferred. The male and female students demonstrated different patterns of
learning styles even though the Reflector style was the most preferred style of
both genders. The arts and science students seemed to exhibit similar patterns
of learning styles except for the Malay students. The students from IPTA and
IPTS too demonstrated similar pattern of learning styles.
However the result of Chi-Square Test showed that there was no significant
difference in the learning styles among ethnicity, between genders and program
of studies. Similarly, the ANOVA did not show any significant difference in the
academic achievement among students with different learning styles.
Based on the results, five conclusions are made. First, the result of the study is
congruent with the learning style theories by Kirton (De Ciantis and Kirton,
1999), Kolb (1984), and Honey and Mumford (1986). Second, The Malay,Chinese and Indian are considered as all-rounder learners. Third, the learning
styles have no relationship with academic achievement. Fourth, ethnicity has no
bearing on learning styles among multi ethnic tertiary students. Finally, the
learning styles are not significantly different between male and female students,
and between science and arts students.
The study has contributed new knowledge in the literature of learning styles
especially the one based on Malaysian context. Besides providing more insight
in understanding multi-ethnic students’ learning styles, the study also provides
recommendations for higher institutions in Malaysia, providers of extension
education and also creates the need for further research in this area. |
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