The Role of Cognitive and Learning Style in Second Language Learning
1.IntroductionLearning styles are not the same as abilities, but they are related to abilities in the sense that they explicate learners' preferences to use their abilities. Different theories of learning styles aim to account for individual differences in the speed and amount of absorbed knowledge that are not explained by abilities (Zhang and Sternberg 2000:469) Some researchers (e.g. Grigorenko and Sternberg 1995:205) prefer to see styles as interactions of intelligence and personality: "styles are not abilities, but rather how these abilities (and the knowledge acquired through them) are used in day to day interactions with the environment. Simply put, styles are not how much intelligence we have, but how we use these styles." When talking about learning styles, the term "cognitive style" has to be introduced. The idea of cognitive style was proposed by Allport (1937) when he referred to it as a means of identifying distinctive personality types or types of behavior. His view of styles was a result of Jung's (1923) theory of psychological types. Since its introduction, the term "style" has been modified, but its basic meaning a habitual pattern or preferred way of doing something, consistent over long periods of time and across tasks has remained unchanged (Sternberg and Grigorenko 2001:2) .The cognitive style construct was developed by cognitive psychologists who conducted research into problem solving and sensory and perceptual abilities. It was a cover term to describe individual ways of perceiving, organizing and processing information.More recently, however, attention has been devoted to styles in education, and the term "learning style" has been introduced, both as a synonym and a substitute name for "cognitive style" Some theorists (e.g. Entwistle, 1981) treats cognitive and learning styles as interchangeable terms; others (e.g. Das, 1988) considers them to be two different concepts. To Riding and Cheema (1991:194) the "main difference between them is the number of style elements considered: while cognitive style is a bipolar dimension, learning style entails many elements." Additionally, "learning style" is supposed to have emerged as a replacement for "cognitive style" in the 1970s; those applying the term "learning style" take cognitive style into consideration, but are more interested in practical applications of the research findings than in the theory underlying the distinction (Ibid.:194) Brown (1994:104 105) explains this phenomenon in the following way: "When cognitive styles are specifically related to an educational context, where affective and physiological factors are mixed together, they are usually more generally referred to as learning styles " One of the characteristic features distinguishing cognitive styles from learning styles is that the former operate as bipolar concepts, and the lack of a certain feature indicates the presence of its counterpart. Learning styles are more complex, and their elements are rarely described as opposites; instead, a person may or may not possess any given element in his or her style. Moreover, in the words of Keefe, learning style is seen as a broader construct, including cognitive along with affective and physiological styles (1987:6) The term "cognitive" refers to an invisible, attributed structure of mind, which may be tapped by asking the subject to carry out tasks bearing little obvious relation to ordinary activities. "Learning style" on the other hand, is more visible and concrete, as well as observable during everyday activities. It is concerned with the "totality of psychological functioning as this affects learning.2.The nature of styleLearning styles have been defined as "cognitive, affective and physiological characteristics that serve as relatively fixed indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment' and which 'reflect genetic coding, personality development, and environmental adaptation" (Keefe 1982:44)