Do Learners' Preferred Learning Styles Affect Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction in PLE: A Pilot Study of the Supervised-PLE-IELTS Platform

Personal Learning Environment(PLE)enables a knowledge-based,learner-centered lifelong learning which could be successfully integrated with formal education when taking educators’supervision into consideration.But do learners’preferred Learning Styles matter in PLE?To investigate the relationship among learners’Learning Styles,learning outcomes and satisfaction towards the PLE platform,the study constructed and applied a supervised-PLE-IELTS platform.57 sophomores majored in Business in Wenzhou University took part in a 16-week project.Data were collected by Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles questionnaire for the Learning Styles,post-test of IELTS reading,listening and vocabulary for the cognitive learning outcomes,and Distance Education Learning Environments Survey(DELES)for the satisfaction towards the PLE platform.The results showed:(1)Learning Styles have positive relationship with the cognitive learning achievements in PLE;(2)Learning Styles had no direct effect on satisfaction,and learners of all Learning Styles enjoyed PLE-IELTS platform;and(3)learners who spent more time on PLE platform achieved better cognitive learning outcomes.The paper shed light on the future construction of supervised-PLEs.