Investigating Bangladeshi students’ preferred English learning styles in relation to student-centred classroom practices

This paper examines student-centred classroom practices of English of Bangladeshi secondary schools and underlines secondary English learners’ self-reported learning styles in accordance with student-centred classroom activities. Following the mixed-method approach, data were collected using a questionnaire survey, classroom observation, focus group discussion (FGD), and semi-structured interview. For a comprehensive understanding of the actual scenario, data was collected from secondary schools located in urban, semi-urban, and rural part of Bangladesh. Data retrieved from the questionnaire survey indicates that students’ preferred learning styles predominantly overlap with the features of tactile and kinesthetic learning styles. Classroom observation demonstrates that teachers have the tendency to control the class even within the student-centred classroom activities. FGD reveals that students were moving towards independent learning. Triangulated data suggests a lower to moderate level of student-centred classroom practices prevalent in secondary English classes. Findings also seem to direct that while students were showing promises in their readiness towards independent learning, teachers failed to provide them with necessary scopes. One pedagogical implication is that an innovation in the assessment system (in the form of assignment or project) would surely reflect students’ preferred learning styles and, at the same time, would enhance student-centeredness in the existing classroom practices.