Comparison and contrast of the learning styles of the prep class students and the teaching styles of the English teachers at some Anatolian high schools

Individual differences among language learners, such as their learning style preferences,began to interest many researchers in the field of foreign language education. Factors likelanguage aptitude, motivation, learning strategies and so forth are some of the individualdifferences that have been studied. Similarly, the learning style movement has been the focusof foreign language education.According to the advocates of the learning style approach, learning style represents eachperson?s biologically and experientially induced characteristics that either foster or hinderachievement. Learning styles are also learner?s natural, habitual, and preferred ways oflearning.Elements that learners strongly prefer are their strengths. To be more precise, when thelearners are taught through their strengths, it is easier for them to absorb and retaininformation. At this point it is necessary to note the significance of teaching style. It isreported by many researchers that merely following a particular method does not alwaysinsure that adequate teaching is being conducted. As students learn in many ways, teachingmethods also vary. There are many ways of teaching the same content. Some teachers do itverbally, others do it visually, others experientially, and others tactually.This study was conducted with Anatolian High School preparatory class students, whoare offered full-time intensive language training, and with their teachers, who are teachingEnglish to the target group of students. After identifying the learning and teaching styles ofthe target groups, the results are compared and discussed. Furthermore, a teaching styleinventory was distributed to English teachers in Anatolian High Schools to examine theirteaching methods or techniques, shortly their teaching styles from a broader aspect.The statistical analysis of the data, obtained from the perceptual learning style andperceptual teaching style questionnaire, indicate that there is a significant relationshipbetween students? learning styles and their teachers? teaching style in terms of perceptualmodalities. Therefore, it is concluded that the perceptual teaching styles of the teachersmatched to the perceptual learning styles of the students. Nevertheless, the teaching styleinventory, which was administered to a larger group of teachers at Anatolian High Schools,indicates that the teachers do not tend to focus on students? individual differences andlearning styles sufficiently. Most of them do not tend to diagnose the elements that theirstudents prefer while they are learning a new subject. Therefore, most of them are unaware oftheir students? individual strengths. Furthermore, one of the remarkable results is that teachersdo not vary their teaching repertoire with different teaching methods, techniques, andmaterials in order to address to the learners? differences.