Learning Styles and Metacognitive Awareness: How They Affect the L2 Listening Process of At-Risk Students in a Modified Foreign Language Program (MFLP)

Q: What was the purpose of the pilot study?

To examine how learning style preference relates to perceived metacognitive awareness when listening in the target language for at-risk students in a Modified Foreign Language Program (MFLP).

Q: Which instruments were used to collect the data?

The Metacognitive Awareness of Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) and the Learning Style Survey: Assessing Your Learning Styles (LSS) were completed by both MFLP and non-MFLP participants.

Q: What did the study find about learning styles and listening strategy perceptions?

MFLP and non-MFLP students differed in their perceived use of metacognitive listening strategies, and MFLP students showed a very strong visual learning style preference.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by mieayamfan

Research on foreign language acquisition by at-risk students has largely centered on the Linguistic Coding Deficit Hypothesis, while newer work examines how learning style rigidity and metacognitive awareness shape outcomes in Modified Foreign Language Programs (MFLPs). This pilot study compares MFLP and non-MFLP learners using the Metacognitive Awareness of Listening Questionnaire and a Learning Style Survey. Statistical testing (t-tests, ANOVAs, regression) links group differences to metacognitive listening strategy perceptions and shows a strong visual learning style preference among MFLP students, with implications for instruction and further study.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Learning Styles and Metacognitive Awareness

Literature Review

MFLP: An Historical Overview

Learning Styles and Metacognitive Awareness: How They Affect the L2 Listening Process of At-Risk Students in a Modified Foreign Language Program (MFLP) William Keith Corbitt West Chester University Abstract Research on the acquisition of foreign languages by at-risk students has primarily focused on the Linguistic Coding Deficit Hypothesis (Horwitz, 2000). Recently, there has been a growing discussion regarding the effects of learning style rigidity (Castro, 2006; Castro and Peck, 2005; Corbitt, 2011; Sparks, 2006) and metacognitive awareness (Corbitt, 2013) on the acquisition of Spanish by at-risk students in Modified Foreign Language Programs (MFLPs). This pilot study seeks to expand the conversation to include a discussion on foreign language listening. MFLP and non-MFLP participants completed the Metacognitive Awareness of Listening Questionnaire (Vandergrift, Goh, Mareschal, & Tafaghodtari; 2006) and the Learning Style Survey: Assessing Your Learning Styles (Cohen, Oxford, & Chi, 2001). The data were subjected to independent sample t-tests, ANOVAs, and a linear regression analysis to determine the relationship between and differences in learning styles and perceived metacognitive listening strategy use for each group. The findings suggest that MFLP and non-MFLP students divergein their perceived usage of metacognitive listening strategies and MFLP students have a very strong visual learning style preference (p < .05). Pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed. Key words: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); Learning Style Survey (LSS); Linguistic Coding Deficit Hypothesis (LCDH); Metacognitive Awareness of Listening Questionnaire (MALQ); Modified Foreign Language Program (MFLP); Multisensory Language Learning. Background All learners face difficulties when listening in the target language (Goh, 2000; Goh, 2002). According to Vandergrift (2004),“Listening is probably the least explicit of the four language skills, making it the most difficult skill to learn”(p. 4) . For atrisk students, for example, those in a Modified Foreign Language Program (MFLP), the listening process can be quite painstaking (Ganschow & Sparks, 1986) . Previous research suggested that, for MFLP students, difficulties in foreign language learning may be a result of learning style rigidity (Castro and Peck, 2005; Corbitt, 2011) and/ or a lack of metacognitive awareness (Corbitt, 2013). This pilot study examined the effects of learning style preference on perceived metacognitive awareness when listening in the target language. Learning Styles and Metacognitive Awareness 23 In the following sections, this article will describe the MFLP – a post-secondary self-contained foreign language program for at-risk students – and it will provide an overview of the research that investigates the acquisition of foreign languages by at-risk students and students with special needs. After delineating the difficulties that many MFLP students face when learning, and, in particular, listening in a foreign language, this article presents findings from previous research that suggest that there are inherent differences in actual and perceived strategy use between MFLP students and non-MFLP students and that those differences maybe a result of learning style rigidity. The results of the study are then presented and the article concludes with pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research. Literature Review MFLP: An Historical Overview In 1990, the United States Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which states,“All children with disabilities have available to them a free, appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education”(as cited in Heward, 2006, p. 19). As a result of the varied IDEA programs and mandates (e.g. Individualized Education Plan, In

FAQs

What was the purpose of the pilot study?

To examine how learning style preference relates to perceived metacognitive awareness when listening in the target language for at-risk students in a Modified Foreign Language Program (MFLP).

Which instruments were used to collect the data?

The Metacognitive Awareness of Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) and the Learning Style Survey: Assessing Your Learning Styles (LSS) were completed by both MFLP and non-MFLP participants.

What did the study find about learning styles and listening strategy perceptions?

MFLP and non-MFLP students differed in their perceived use of metacognitive listening strategies, and MFLP students showed a very strong visual learning style preference.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by mieayamfan