Investigating the relationship between learning styles and the effectiveness of on-line supplementary material

Abstract

This study investigated (a) the effectiveness of CALL supplementary materials on students‘ overall classroom achievement, (b) the relationship between students‘ learning styles and their classroom achievement after instruction supported by online supplementary material, and (c) differences in students‘ approaches to using the CALL material due to their various learning styles. The study was conducted in two different settings, Ankara University and Trakya University, School of Foreign Languages with 98 participants, who were tertiary level intermediate students. An online program was used as an instrument and the data were collected through unit tests, a learning style survey, and a CALL features questionnaire. The analysis of the quantitative data revealed that CALL as a supplement had a positive influence on students‘ overall classroom achievement. In addition, although some significant correlations were seen, students‘ learning style preferences did not have a strong effect on their classroom achievement. Finally, some significant correlations were observed between the students‘ learning styles and how they used the online supplementary material. However, the findings were not strong enough to generalize. Aside from the significant correlations, it was concluded that the features of the online program appealed to the students on both sides of the dichotomies and they appeared to benefit from the online program equally.