JOLLT Journal of Languages and Language Teaching
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): April

Investigating EFL Students’ Learning Styles in English for Specific Purposes: A Vark-Based Study on the Fashion Education Context

Sita Nurmasitah (Universitas Negeri Semarang)
Pudji Astuti (Universitas Negeri Semarang)
Nabila Luthfionaura (National Yunlin University of Science and Technology)
Atika Atika (Universitas Negeri Semarang)
Joe-Bren L. Consuelo (Department of Education Ligao)



Article Info

Publish Date
17 Apr 2026

Abstract

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction in vocational contexts—particularly in fields such as Fashion Education—has often overlooked students’ diverse learning style preferences, creating a gap between pedagogical approaches and learners’ needs. This study addresses that gap by investigating the learning styles of 40 Fashion Education students using the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) model to inform differentiated ESP pedagogy. Employing a descriptive quantitative method, the study utilized the VARK questionnaire to assess individual learning preferences. Results revealed that 65% of participants demonstrated kinesthetic learning tendencies, while 70% exhibited multimodal profiles. These findings indicate a predominant preference for experiential and blended learning approaches, underscoring the limitations of traditional, text-heavy ESP instruction in vocational settings. The novelty of this study lies in its focus on Fashion Education, a creative and practice-based discipline where learning style alignment is crucial yet underexplored in ESP research. Beyond the local context, the results contribute to international ESP discourse by offering evidence that differentiated and learner-responsive approaches can enhance both engagement and communicative competence. For educators, the study highlights the need to integrate more task-based, hands-on, and multimodal strategies into ESP classrooms to ensure instruction is both industry-relevant and inclusive, thereby improving learning outcomes across vocational education.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

jollt

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

OLLT is an open access journal which provides immediate, worldwide, barrier-free access to the full text of all published articles without charging readers or their institutions for access. Readers have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of all ...