Learning Preferences and Self-Directed Practices among Female EFL Learners in an Indonesian Residential School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v10i2.35604Keywords:
EFL learners, learning preferences, self-directed learning, kinesthetic engagement, multimodal instructionAbstract
The learning preferences of female English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in economically disadvantaged and culturally diverse secondary-school settings remain underexamined, particularly in relation to self-directed learning. This study investigated the predominant learning-style modality among female students and examined how their preferred learning activities supported self-directed learning. Employing a quantitative descriptive design, the study involved 30 female students purposively selected from a Christian residential secondary school in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Data were collected using a 23-item questionnaire covering visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning activities alongside self-directed practices and rated on a five-point frequency scale. Descriptive percentage analysis showed that kinesthetic activities received the highest combined proportion of “always” and “often” responses (53%), followed by visual (48%) and auditory activities (47%). Particularly strong endorsement was recorded for preparing drafts before completing tasks (83.3% always/often), learning through experimentation and using task examples (70.0% each), revising and evaluating completed work (66.7%), elaborating learning materials at home (66.7%), and maintaining a home-study schedule (63.3%). These practices indicate that active engagement was intertwined with planning, task execution, monitoring, and evaluation—core processes of self-directed learning. Nevertheless, the distributions across all three modalities reveal a multimodal rather than exclusively kinesthetic profile. The findings therefore support instructional designs that combine visual resources and oral explanation with substantial opportunities for practice, experimentation, planning, and reflection.
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