Links between Cognitive Styles and Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

In modern society, learning a second language, like English, has been prevalent and nearly all learners have been applying the past learning experience of their teachers, other advisors or other learners directly, but not sufficiently considered their own characteristics to seek for a more efficient approach. This article presents and clarifies the links between learners’ cognitive styles and some general learning strategies. In this paper, cognitive styles are mainly discussed, including field independence (FI) & field dependence (FD) and holistic-analytic & verbaliser-imager. This paper illustrates that learners with different cognitive styles possess their unique learning effects when the same strategy is applied, like meta-cognitive strategy and also when learners are learning a specific part of language, like vocabulary, they prefer to adopt different learning strategy willingly. Some resembling findings can be conducted when referring to verbaliser and imager cognitive styles. Therefore, the paper strongly indicates that individual difference is an essential factor to be taken into account when second language acquisition is concerned, especially the difference in cognitive styles. In the future, the study of personal variations tends to help potential learners to increase leaning effects.