Conflict of Learning Styles: University Science Lectures in the Sultanate of Oman

This article examines the differing learning styles found in western lecturers and Omani students in science lectures in the Sultanate of Oman. Oman is a country which modernized very recently, and students there were encountering western lecturers and lecturing methods for the first time. The western lecturers found the Omani approach to science, which they characterized as memorization deficient and wished to introduce a problem-solving approach. However, it is argued that some memorization occurs in all learning of science everywhere, that the Omani approach has its merits, and that a major problem in these lectures was the lack of knowledge of Omani and Arabic culture in the lecturers. It is argued that all learning takes place by matching new knowledge and methods with previous ones, and that to successfully lecture to the Omani students the lecturers would need to research further into ways in which their approach could have built on, rather than replaced entirely, the Omani approach. The article is based on interviews with the lecturers and extracts from the lectures, which were recorded and transcribed by the writer.