IDENTIFYING STUDENTS LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES AT IAIN TERNATE

Abstract

Students are the unique entities with different characteristics to be paid attention by the teachers in teaching and learning process. Teachers can feed their students based on their unique characteristics. Students learning style is one of the entities which will contribute toward students’ success in learning. This paper is aimed (1) to identify and to prepare information about students’ major perceptual learning style preferences and (2) to identify and to prepare information about students’ minor learning preferences. This research was conducted at State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Ternate towards 116 students of Shariah Department of academic year 2012/2013 which are chosen purposively as the sample of the research. The data of the research were elicited by using Reid’s (1987) Perceptual Learning Style Preferences (PLSP). The data were analyzed into statistical descriptive by using Microsoft Excel 2007. The finding of the research stated that the students’ major perceptual learning style preferences are visual (mean=40.2). and the minor perceptual learning style preferences are kinesthetic (mean=37.0), individual (mean=36.7), tactile (mean=36.3), auditory (mean=35.8), and group (mean=33.9). The characteristics of students with visual learning style preferences are: (a) The students remember better when they read instructions; (b) The students understand better when they read instructions; (c) The students learn better by reading what the teacher writes on the writing-board; (d) The students learn better by reading than by listening to someone; and (e) The students learn more by reading textbooks than by listening to lectures.