The Relationships of Learning Styles, Learning Motivation and Academic Success in EFL Learning Context

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a survey of learning styles and learning motivation of EFL learners. It aimed to compare
learning styles and motivation to learn English of Bangkok University students categorized by their background, and investigate the
relationship among English background knowledge, learning styles, and learning motivation. The samples were 183 undergraduate
students enrolled in Fundamental English course. The instrument in this study was a questionnaire. Results indicated that the level of
learning styles and learning motivation in general were moderate. There were no statistically significant differences at .05 level found in
students’ learning styles and learning motivation as classified by gender, school type and field of study. As hypothesised, positive
relationships were found among students’ English background knowledge, learning styles, and learning motivation at .05 level, and
students with higher English background knowledge were found to have a greater variety of learning styles and more motivation to learn
English.