Gender Differences in Language Learning Style Preferences The Case of Third Year EFL Students (Literature Classes) at Amar Thelidji University of Laghouat

Abstract

Our present study investigates male and female third year English language students differences in terms of language learning style preferences. It seeks to determine whether there is a difference between boys and girls in the learning style preferences. It also attempts to figure out whether gender plays a role in shaping these differences or not. This study was carried out in the English department at Ammar Thelidji university of Laghouat. For conducting this research, researchers used the mixed method approach in order to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Fifty-five (55) questionnaires were distributed, to thirty-four (34) girls and fifteen (15) boys six (06) of them were rejected because they were not fully answered, besides three (3) classroom observation sessions on a sample of sixty-three (63) students. The findings of this study indicate that there is a significant difference between male and female students of the English department at Ammar Thelidji University concerning their learning style preferences when it comes to learning inside the classroom, while their preferred style of learning outside the classroom appears to be almost the same