The Correlation Between Students’ Learning Styles and Their English Learning Achievement

Abstrak

The study aims to examine the correlation between students’ learning styles and their English learning outcomes at Senior High School 3 Binongko. This quantitative correlational research involved 30 students from class XI B who were selected through purposive sampling based on specific criteria. The students’ learning styles were measured using a 24-item questionnaire based on the VARK model (Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic), designed on a 5-point Likert scale. Their English learning outcomes were obtained from official school records. Since some variables were not normally distributed, data analysis was performed using Spearman’s rank correlation with the assistance of SPSS version 20. The results indicated that none of the four learning styles showed a statistically significant correlation with students’ English achievement. The correlation coefficients were as follows: visual (r = 0.036, p = 0.852), auditory (r = –0.026, p = 0.892), read/write (r = –0.093, p = 0.626), and kinesthetic (r = 0.330, p = 0.075). Although kinesthetic had the highest correlation coefficient among the four, it was still weak and statistically insignificant. These findings suggest that students’ learning style preferences may not directly influence their English learning outcomes. Therefore, teachers are encouraged to implement diverse and inclusive instructional strategies that cater to multiple learning styles to enhance learning effectiveness for all students.

Kata kunci

• VARK
• correlation
• english learning achievement
• learning styles