A Fish or A Fishing Rod- Language Learning Strategies for Successful Language Learning

1. A Fish or A Fishing Rod- Language LearningStrategies for Successful Language Learning 語言學習策略工作坊 April 11, 2007 義守大學 藍蕾 東吳大學 英文系 副教授 Rae Lan, Ph.D. Email: rae@scu.edu.tw Rae Lan, 2007

2. Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) Research Implication & Pedagogical Application • My Research on Taiwanese Children’s Language Learning Strategies • LLSs for EFL Adult Learners • Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL, Oxford, 1990) • Strategy Instruction for Our Students Rae Lan, 2007

3. Language Learning Strategy Profiles of Elementary School Students in Taiwan • Introduction • Literature review • Methodology • Results • Implications and Recommendations Rae Lan, 2007

4. Significance & Purpose of the Study • Significance: • Including the largest-scale sample (N=1190) • Covered four major geographical areas • Investigating eight independent variables • Adopting a mixed-method design (multiple instrumentation) • Purpose: • Exploring the strategies profiles of the EFL young learners • Raising strategic awareness of the teachers and students • Promoting strategy instruction by empirical evidence Rae Lan, 2007

5. Research Questions • What does the Background Questionnaire tell us ? • What is the total strategy-use mean? • What are the strategy-use means for each of the strategy categories? • Comparing these EFL results with other Children’s studies • what are the five most and the five least used strategies? • Are there significant relationships among the following variables: strategy use (total us and use by strategy category), geographic area, gender, parents’ educational background, prior English learning experience, self-choice of English learning, proficiency self-rating and degree of liking English? • What additional information do 12 students’ think-aloud protocols and strategy interviews provide beyond that offered by the strategy questionnaire given to the whole sample? Rae Lan, 2007

6. Research Variables Geographic Area Self-choice Liking English Prior English Learning Language Learning Strategies Gender Self-rating Parents’ Education Rae Lan, 2007

7. Literature Review Definition- • Learning strategies are behaviors or thoughts that the learner uses with some degree of control or awareness to enhance his or her learning. (Oxford, 2003) • Specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective and more transferable to new situations” (Oxford,1990, p.8) Rae Lan, 2007

8. How Are Strategies Categorized? Oxford’s Six Strategy Taxonomy (1990) Direct Strategies Indirect Strategies Memory Strategies Meta- cognitive Strategies Compensation Strategies Social Strategies Cognitive Strategies Affective Strategies Rae Lan, 2007

9. Examples of Strategies: • Activating prior knowledge/experiences • Analyzing expressions to uncover the meaning • Planning and organizing • Positive self-talk • Using images to remember words • Categorizing vocabulary for memorization Rae Lan, 2007

10. Literature Review • LLS in ESL versus EFL contexts (Kojic-Sabo & Lightbown) • Factors affecting LLS use • Gender (Oxford & Nyikos, 1989)proficiency (Chamot & El-Dinary, 1999), motivation (Yang, 1996) and learning styles (Ko, 2002) • Young children’s L2 learning strategies • cognitive strategies, conversation-initiation/social-interaction strategies, private speech strategies and task-related strategy use (See Lan, 2005) • Taiwanese children’s LLSs • vocabulary learning strategies (Kung, 2003; Lin, 2001) • gender and personality traits (Hsu & Huang, 2004) • gender, proficiency, and liking of English (Lan & Oxford, 2003) Rae Lan, 2007

11. Methodology A mixed method design in two phases Phase I Phase II Quantitative Data Collection Qualitative Data Collection Questionnaire Think-aloud Protocol & Interview Data Integration Rae Lan, 2007

12. Methodology • Participants • 1190 6th grade students from north, central, south and east of Taiwan (Phase I) • 12 6th graders from each area (Phase II) • Instruments • Taiwanese Children’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (Adapted from Gunning, 1998 based on Oxford, 1990) (Phase I) • Think-aloud Protocols (Phase II) • Interviews (Phase II) Rae Lan, 2007

13. Results-Phase I • Overall medium range of strategy use (H=23%/M=53%/L=24%) • Affective>Compensation/Social>Metacognitive>Cognitive/Memory • Highest - ask for help/clarification, analyze/avoid errors • Lowest - read English books, use flash cards, learn words in context • Pearson correlation – liking of English, self-choice, self-rated • proficiency • Multiple regression – 40% of variance, liking, self-choice, self-rating • ANOVA- All eight independent variables bear significant effect on • LLS use except for geographical areas • 37% disliked English, 78% with prior learning, English ranked as # 4 • favorite subject Rae Lan, 2007

14. Results-Phase II (1) Association of the words - using imagery, associations, story-making, sequencing, and location of words (10/35, Consolidation) (2) Emphasizing the words - repeatedly spelling, repeatedly writing, underlining (7/35 Consolidation) (3) Meta-cognitive aspects – self-testing, using a spiral pattern, over-viewing, skipping difficult words (6/35 Consolidation) (4) Analyzing the words - dividing up words (5/35 Consolidation) (5) Understanding the meaning of words - using L1, using pictures (4/35, Discovery) (6) Sounding out words - sounding out words based on phonetics, phonics, Ju-Yin, or previously known words (3/35, Consolidation) Rae Lan, 2007

15. Rae Lan, 2007

16. Rae Lan, 2007

17. Rae Lan, 2007

18. Implications For Research • A rich repertoire of strategies are used by EFL elementary school students in Taiwan • Linear relationships exist between EFL children’s LLS use with a variety of variables including (a) degree of liking of English, (b) proficiency level, (c) gender, (d) self-choice of studying in a private English school, (e) prior English learning, and (f) father’s education • Context makes a difference • Research instruments for identifying and measuring children’s LLSs Rae Lan, 2007

19. Pedagogical Implications • Employ games with both age-appropriateness and proper cognitive demands for vocabulary learning • Start incorporating systematic instructions on teaching vocabulary so that they can equip their students with strategies to cope with the challenges in vocabulary learning, • Approach vocabulary teaching by first teaching their young students how to use dictionaries as a learning tool Rae Lan, 2007

20. Conclusions • EFL elementary school students employed • a variety of strategies for vocabulary • learning • The students’ strategy use was related to • their proficiency, prior learning, time spent • and their performance on the vocabulary • quiz • Vocabulary learning plays a key role in • their English learning experience and is • related to the use of games. Rae Lan, 2007

21. Factors Affecting LLSs Use Learning Styles Proficiency Attitude Language Learning Strategies Prior Learning Gender Learning Context Self-rating Rae Lan, 2007

22. EFL College Students’ LLSs Use • Learning contexts- Kojic-Sabo & Lightbown, 1999; • Park, 1994; Yang, 1994; Green & • Oxford, 1995 • Proficiency-Chamot & Kupper, 1989;Dreyer & • Oxford, 1996; Gu & Johnson, 1996; • Park, 1997/Chen, 2001; Lin, 1999; • Wang, 2001; Wu, 2000 (in Lan & • Oxford, 2003) • Gender-Ehrman & Oxford, 1989; Oxford & Nyikos, • 1989; Yang, 1993; Zoubir-Shaw & • Oxford, 1995 • Motivation, attitudes & beliefs- Liao, 2000; Peng, • 2001; Yang,1996; • Learning styles-Ko, 2002; Rau, 2001 Rae Lan, 2007

23. Considerations for Implementing Strategy Instruction • Policymakers, School authorities, teacher educators and parents need to be informed by research to advocate the values of SI in both English and other disciplines. • Teacher education programs need to include and highlight SI as an important component to build up teachers’ knowledge, interests beliefs, and confidence in implementing SI. • Strategy instructional models should provide specific steps and procedures to help teachers with their job. • Teachers need to guide and facilitate students in understanding the need and value of using learning strategies for effective learning Rae Lan, 2007

24. Strategy Instructional Models • Preparation: Raising students’ awareness through retrospection, think-alouds, and discussion • Presentation: Developing students’ knowledge about strategies by providing rationale, describing/naming strategies and by modeling strategy use • Practice: Developing students’ skills in using strategies for academic learning through cooperative learning tasks, thnk-alouds, peer tutoring, and group discussions. • Evaluation: Developing students’ ability to evaluate their own strategy use through recording strategies used, discussions, and keeping dialog journals. • Expansion: Developing transfer of strategies to new tasks by discussions on metacognitive and motivational aspects of strategy use, additional practice, and assignments. (Chamot & OMalley (1990) Rae Lan, 2007

25. Typical Steps in Strategy Instruction • Determine the learners’ needs and the time available • Select strategies well • Integrate SI into language teaching • Consider motivational issues • Prepare materials and activities • Conduct completely informed SI • Evaluate the SI • Revise the SI • (Oxford, 2004) Rae Lan, 2007

26. Warm-Up Activity Audrey Keiko Azuma A short film directed by Stanley Nakazono *What is an asianphile? *What are the two metaphors used *What is the story about? Q: What strategies did you apply to help yourself understand the film? Rae Lan, 2007

27. StrategiesUsed In Various Situations: • When listening to a passage,… • When speaking to foreigners,… • When reading a paragraph,… • When writing an essay,… • When memorizing a list of words,… • When preparing for a trip abroad,… • When studying in an EFL context,… Rae Lan, 2007

28. Listening • Depending on the contexts or situations • Determining your purposes • Making use of any resources available • Getting the whole picture v.s. listening for details (top-down v.s. bottom-up) • Selecting materials that fit i+1 • Practicing makes perfect! Rae Lan, 2007

29. Speaking • Depending on the contexts or situations • Using verbal / non-verbal communication • Applying compensation strategies • Listening carefully (receiving input) for speaking appropriately (strategizing output) • Consciously using new vocab/expressions Rae Lan, 2007

30. Giving Oral Presentations • Setting your goals • Highlighting your strengths and eluding your weaknesses (improving later) • Avoiding reading from your paper • Applying technologies (power point slides) • Using attention-getters • Opening, closing, manners, CONFIDENCE! Its’ a learned skill, not a natural talent. Rae Lan, 2007

31. Reading • Depending on the contexts or situations • Applying pre-, during- and after-reading strategies • Using stickys, taking notes on the margins, underlying, • Predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarizing http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/reading%20strategies%20index.htm Rae Lan, 2007

32. Writing • Depending on the contexts or situations • Employing pre-, during-, and after-writing strategies • Process writing stages- • Prewriting • Drafting • Rereading • Peer-revising • Revising • http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/main/prewrite.htm Rae Lan, 2007

33. Memorizing A List of Words • Identify what strategies you are already using and see how they work for you • Brainstorming on a vocabulary task with other learners • Exchange ideas and experience • Expand your strategy bank • Practice Rae Lan, 2007

34. Vocabphobia – a Think-aloud Prtocol • Arachnophobia • Social Phobia • Aerophobia • Agoraphobia • Claustrophobia • Acrophobia • Emetophobia • Carcinophobia • Brontophobia • Necrophobia Rae Lan, 2007

35. Strategy Mascots • Planning Panda • Picturing Penguin • Cognates Camel • Monitoring Monkey • Cooperative Cow • Researching Raccoon • Hands-on Hippo • Checking Chick • Background Bear • Singing Seal (Robins, 2005) Rae Lan, 2007

36. Conclusions- • Take initiatives in exploring learning • strategies used for all discipline • Identify your own strategies that work • Expand your strategies • Being metacognitively aware of your • strategy use • Use strategies that fit your learning style • Employ strategies at the right time in the • right place on the right task to the right person • Reflect and evaluate your strategy use • Practice, self-esteem and motivation! Rae Lan, 2007