Validating and Establishing Norms of the Language Learning Styles

A key issue in assessing the learning styles of English as foreign language (EFL) students is the development of a valid and reliable instrument. This paper reports and discusses the results of administering one learning styles questionnaire, which is a further development of Wintergerst , DeCapua (2002) Learning Styles Indicator (LSI) originally developed for the ESL learners. The questionnaire has three constructs, namely, group activity orientation (GAO), individual activity orientation (IAO), and project orientation (PO). The new questionnaire has two more constructs, namely, induction (INDUC) and deduction (DEDUC). Five hundred Iranian students were given the questionnaire. However, three hundred sixty three questionnaires were returned. The results, investigated through confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha, revealed that the questionnaire would be a valid and reliable measure of the learning styles of the Iranian students of English.