Comparison of Learning Styles and Academic Goal Orientation in Bilingual and Monolingual Students

There are various factors that affect language learning which could all lead to greater efficiency in the correct use of language. The objective of this study was to compare learning styles and academic goal orientation in bilingual and monolingual students. The research design was causal-comparative. The bilingual population consisted of 120 female students of Marand and Tabriz University Jahad Institute with one Turkic parent and one Persian parent; the statistical population of the monolinguals included 140 female students of a school in Dolat Abad Village in Marand. The statistical sample of this study consisted of 30 monolingual students and 30 bilingual students who were selected by available sampling method. Learning Styles Scale (Kolb, 1985) and Academic Goal-Oriented Scale (Bufard et al, 1998) were used as study tools. Results indicated that there was a significant difference between academic goal orientation and learning styles (except active experiential learning style) in bilingual and monolingual subjects, as well as the fact that bilinguals had higher educational goal orientation and used a more objective style than monolinguals. However, monolinguals used more reflective, conceptual, and experiential learning styles. Accordingly, we could suggest that bilingualism is not a ban for learner, but it also can help the bilinguals have a more goal-oriented life and achieve their goals.