Voices of English Language Education Society
Vol 10 No 2 (2026): August 2026

Learning Preferences and Self-Directed Practices among Female EFL Learners in an Indonesian Residential School

Eltina Agustina Maromon (Universitas Kristen Artha Wacana, Indonesia)
Jofret Umbu Soru Peku Djawang (Universitas Kristen Artha Wacana, Indonesia)
Yakob Metboki (Universitas Kristen Artha Wacana, Indonesia)
Alfred Snae (Universitas Kristen Artha Wacana, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
26 Aug 2026

Abstract

The learning preferences of female English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in economically disadvantaged and culturally diverse secondary-school settings remain underexamined, particularly in relation to self-directed learning. This study investigated the predominant learning-style modality among female students and examined how their preferred learning activities supported self-directed learning. Employing a quantitative descriptive design, the study involved 30 female students purposively selected from a Christian residential secondary school in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Data were collected using a 23-item questionnaire covering visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning activities alongside self-directed practices and rated on a five-point frequency scale. Descriptive percentage analysis showed that kinesthetic activities received the highest combined proportion of “always” and “often” responses (53%), followed by visual (48%) and auditory activities (47%). Particularly strong endorsement was recorded for preparing drafts before completing tasks (83.3% always/often), learning through experimentation and using task examples (70.0% each), revising and evaluating completed work (66.7%), elaborating learning materials at home (66.7%), and maintaining a home-study schedule (63.3%). These practices indicate that active engagement was intertwined with planning, task execution, monitoring, and evaluation—core processes of self-directed learning. Nevertheless, the distributions across all three modalities reveal a multimodal rather than exclusively kinesthetic profile. The findings therefore support instructional designs that combine visual resources and oral explanation with substantial opportunities for practice, experimentation, planning, and reflection.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

veles

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

The journal of Voices of English Language Education Society(VELES) e-ISSN 2579-7484 aims to provide an international forum for sharing, dissemination and discussion of research, experience and perspectives across a wide range of education, teaching, development, instruction, educational projects and ...