Kolb’s Learning Styles: Preferences among Male and Female Students of English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

Abstract

Abstract The preference for learning styles is an important and widely discussed topic in educational psychology. Knowing students' preferences regarding learning style enables teachers to use more effective methods of providing information and to choose better educational tools for a particular student. This research deals with the comparison of male and female students' learning styles and contributes to the discussion of whether gender can affect a student's learning style. Kolb's assessment method was used to determine an individual's learning style. The research uses both quantitative and qualitative methods in order to strengthen each method and get clearer results. 100 questionnaires were given out and 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study took place at the College of Healthcare and Nursing in Brno (Czech Republic). To concentrate on the research objectives, the respondents of similar age, same education level, and similar background were chosen. The results clearly show that male and female students tend to prefer different learning styles and that is contrary to the findings of previous research done in this area. The study helps to understand how gender can affect our way of studying and how to help individuals learn more effectively.