Learning Preferences INTERACTION with Working Memory in University-Level Language Acquisition

The aim of this research was to gain a better understanding of L2 speech performance from the perspective of learning preferences in the working memory capacity and oral performance of EFL learners. The research sheds light on the role of perceptual and central attention in the encoding, maintenance, and manipulation of information in learners’ working memory while defining their styles of learning, which determine their learning strategy. The participants were 60 students at the General Department, Faculty of Education, Damanhour University. The results show a positive relationship between working memory and approaches to learning with students at a higher level of production. Students at a lower level of production seem to use complex approaches to learning. Working memory was assessed by a speaking span test that taxes the processing and storage functions of working memory during sentence production. The results suggest that the functional capacity of working memory varies with the processing characteristics of the task being performed. A learning style questionnaire was used to recognize learners’ learning styles. The research concludes with a discussion of how learning styles and working memory interact to create learners who speak fluently.