15 learning, an essential factor for making progress in the language Beebee,
1983; Brown, 1987; Ely, 1986; Stevick, 1976.
There are five levels of risk-taking behavior: 1.
the uninhibited risk-taker 2.
the analytical risk-taker 3.
the cautious risk-taker 4.
the inhibited risk-taker 5.
the non risk-taker
G. Learning Style
Learning style is used to describe an individual natural, habitual, and preferred way of absorbing, processing and retaining new information and
skills Reid, 1995 in Lighbow and Spada, 1996. Some learners may be categorized as ‘aural’, ‘visual’ or, ‘kinesthetic.’ Considerable research that
focus on cognitive learning style categorize learners into field independent and field independent learners. If you are field independent, you will
concentrate on the compulsory and relevant details and you will not be ‘distracted by surrounding but irrelevant details’ Brown, 1997: 84. People
whose field independent are dominant are usually more independent, competitive, and self confident. ‘Field-dependent persons tend to be more
socialized, tend to derive their self identity from people around them, and usually more emphatic and perceptive of feelings and thoughts of others.
Brown, 1997: 86.
Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Soloman give suggestions how the following four types of learners can help themselves:
1. Active and Reflective Learners - will retain information better when they use it.
2. Sensing and Intuitive Learners - need to see how information connects to the real world
16 3. Visual and Verbal Learners - need summaries or outlines in their own
words. 4. Sequential and Global Learners - need to get the big picture and
understand how information connects to other topics before they can master the details.
Kolbs Learning Styles Source: 537 Course Cont ent s on Kolb and Hart man, 1995
1. Accommodat ors Concret e experience Act ive experiment er are mot ivat ed by t he quest ion, w hat w ould happen if I did t his? They consider w hat t hey can do, as w ell as
w hat ot hers have done previously. They are able t o see relat ionships among aspect s of a syst em. Encouraging independent discovery, accom modat ors like t o be act ive
part icipant s in t heir learning and t o offer laborat ories, field w ork, observat ions or t rigger films.
2. Assimilat ors Abst ract concept ualizat ion Reflect ive observer are mot ivat ed t o answ er t he quest ion, w hat is t here t o know ? They like accurat e, organized delivery of
informat ion and respect t he know ledge of t he expert . They are not comfort able randomly exploring a syst em. They like t o get t he right answ er t o t he problem, use t he
lect ure met hod, video or audio present at ion, follow ed by a demonst rat ion, explore a subject in a lab follow ed by a t ut orial, and use logs, journals, or brainst orming.
3. Convergers abst ract concept ualizat ion act ive experiment er are mot ivat ed t o discover t he relevancy or t he how of a sit uation. Applicat ion and usefulness of
informat ion is increased by underst anding det ailed informat ion about a syst ems operat ion. By means of lect ures, papers, analogies, simulat ions, case st udies, and
homew ork, st udent s prefer int eract ive inst ruct ion, com put er assist ed inst ruct ion, and problem set s or w orkbooks.
4. Divergers concret e reflexive learners are mot ivat ed t o discover t he relevancy or w hy of a sit uat ion. They reason from concret e specific informat ion and like t o explore
17
w hat a syst em has t o offer. They prefer t o have informat ion present ed in a det ailed, syst emat ic, reasoned manner, and enjoy using t he lect ure met hod t hat focuses on
specifics for example t he st rengt hs, w eaknesses and uses of a syst em, and use hands-on explorat ion of a syst em. Teachers should answ er quest ions, make suggest ions, and
provide reference guides t o t he st udent s. ht t p: w w w .st emnet .nf.ca ~dsulliva EP learning_styles.ht m
Other research categorizes learning style based on the individual’s personalitytemperament: extroversion-introversion, sensing – intuition,
thinking-feeling, judging-perceiving.
M yers-Briggs Type Indicat or 1. Ext roversion—Int roversion At t it udes
W het her t o direct percept ion and judgment mainly on t he out er w orld E or mainly on t he w orld of ideas I; a person’s basic orient at ion, at t it ude t ow ard life. Ext rovert s t end
t o focus t heir percept ion and judgment on people and object s. Int rovert s t end t o focus t heir percept ion and judgment on concept s and ideas.
2. Sensing Percept ion—Int uit ive Percept ion Process of Percept ion W hich kinds of percept ion are preferred w hen one needs or w ishes t o perceive; one
may rely primarily on t he process of sensing S, w hich report s observable fact s or happenings t hrough one or more of t he five senses; or one may rely more on t he less
obvious process of int uit ion N, w hich report s meanings, relat ionships and or possibilit ies t hat have been w orked out beyond t he reach of t he conscious mind.
3. Thinking Judgment —Feeling Judgment Process of Judgment W hich kind of judgment t o t rust w hen one needs or w ishes t o make a decision; a person
may rely primarily on t hinking T t o decide impersonally on t he basis of logical
18
consequences, or a person may rely primarily on feeling F t o decide primarily on t he basis of personal or social values.
4. Judging—Perceiving St yle of Dealing w it h t he Out side W orld W het her t o deal w it h t he out er w orld in t he judging J at t it ude using Thinking
judgment or Feeling judgment , or in t he percept ive P at t it ude using Sensing percept ion or Int uit ive percept ion. A person w ho prefers judgment J has report ed a
preference for using a judgment process eit her T or F for dealing w it h t he out side w orld. A person w ho prefers percept ion P has report ed a preference for using a
percept ive process eit her S or N for dealing w it h t he out side w orld.
Not e. Taken from M yers-Briggs and M cCaulley 1985, p. 2.
H. Tolerance of Ambiguity
