運動員學生學習模式與運動英語教學 – 再探VARK於運動員英語教學之運用

Athlete Students’ Learning Styles and English for Sport Purposes – Revisioning VARK and Its Application for Athletes‘ ESP Learning and Teaching

國內有關運動員英語文學習模式之研究付之闕如。本研究採用運動員學習模式VARK於北部某體育大學進行運動競技學生問卷調查。VARK是指V-視覺型學習、A-聽覺型學習、R-閱讀書寫型學習、K-身體力行動手做學習、以及MM-多樣化學習。結果顯示：雖然運動員如一般生會採行各類型學習模式進行學習，但是絕大部分受測運動員呈現K型學習模式。有別於一般台灣大學生多為以閱讀書寫為主的多樣化學習型，以K型學習模式為主的運動員，確實反映出運動員一向是以肢體運作為主的學習型態，這種模式也呈現在運動員的英語文學習上。
本研究分析運動員學習模式與性別、運動專長、運動等級及其英語文學習表現之間的關係。此外，依照各學習偏好模式設計學習內涵及教學方法，以幫助運動員有效學習英語文，並應用於其競技場域。

 

The area of cognitive or learning style in athletes has been relatively unstudied. For decades, understanding students’ physical, emotional, social, and cognitive needs is one of the more demanding challenges facing a teacher, and it is especially challenging when students are athletes. In the English as Foreign Language (EFL) teaching environment, how students take in and process information, i.e., their learning styles, is deemed crucial to successful and satisfactory learning. Thus, understanding athlete students’ learning styles is an important component of developing their EFL abilities; in addition, knowledge of their idiosyncrasies will assist EFL teachers in preparing such athlete students to their maximum potential.
This research used The VARK Questionnaire-for-Athlete, a guide to learning styles, to understand college athletes’ modes for taking in and processing information in a sport university. The VARK is a simplified and frequently used method to categorize learning modes, namely, V-vision, A-auditory, R-reading/writing (thinking), K-kinesthesis, and MM-multimodal. Athletes (n=120; age 19±1 yrs) completed the questionnaire in traditional Chinese version. The results showed that although most people utilized multiple ways to process information with no one absolutely preferable way, the finding showed that most college athletes tended to be kinesthetic learners. This indicates that athletes tend to learn by doing; they are hands-on learners, which quite reflects their habitus of athletes being physical practitioners.
The study examined the relationships between athletes’ learning style preference and university athletes’ gender, sport specialty, athletic status, and their EFL performance. Moreover, the researcher analyzed the results and designed instructions using the perceptual modes to provide appropriate instruction utilizing strategies for each learning style to assist EFL athletes to strive to their potential in learning English of their specialties in sports.