The Relationships among the Multi-Sensory Approach, Personal Factors, And Second Language Learning Outcomes at IELE of Assumption University of Thailand

Abstract

This study was conducted mainly to investigate the relationships among the multi-sensory approach, personal factors and second language learning outcomes at IELE of Assumption University of Thailand. One hundred fifty-seven students were selected as a sample from the university population to complete the questionnaires. The selected students were from classes which use the Multi-sensory approach to teach English as a Second Language. The research questions of this study were particularly addressed to the students’ perceptions about the multi-sensory approach; the students’ perceptions about personal factors under the multi-sensory approach; the students’ perceptions about the second language learning outcomes using the multi-sensory approach. Results indicated that according to students’ perceptions, most visual, auditory and kinesthetictactile strategies were used frequently by the teachers in IELE, except those high-tech related strategies such as video clips, computer graphics, and audiotapes. The multi-sensory approach had positive correlations with second language learning outcomes regarding speaking, reading, writing and listening. Compared to visual and auditory strategies, kinesthetic-tactile strategies had a less positive correlation with speaking. Situational anxiety had a very low correlation with reading and had a negligible correlation with listening. Both intelligence and language aptitude have large positive correlations with second language learning outcomes.