Classroom Research on Language Learning Strategy Instruction

1. Classroom Research on Language Learning Strategy Instruction Yang Luxin lyang2003@gmail.com

2. Outline • Current research • Directions for future research

3. Current Research • Listening comprehension strategies studies • Oral communication strategies studies • Reading comprehension strategies studies • Vocabulary strategies studies • Writing strategies studies

4. Listening comprehension strategies studies • Limited number of studies on teaching listening strategies • Encouraging evidence: students can learn to use listening strategies; and the use of strategies can improve listening comprehension (e.g., Carrier, 2003; Ross & Rost,1991;Thompson & Rubin, 1996)

5. Larry Vandergrift (2003) • 2 groups of university students (41) at a beginning level French as a second language course (13-week period of the course) • Task A: top-down approach (students are asked to predict about the passage)

6. Larry Vandergrift (2003) • Task B: working in pairs, focus on specific details (e.g., sequence of events in the story) • Self-reflection

7. Larry Vandergrift (2003) • Positive reaction to listening tasks and activities • Raising awareness of the process of listening

8. Larry Vandergrift (2003) • Benefit of prediction • Usefulness of discussion with a partner • Motivational effect (increasing confidence)

9. Oral communication strategies studies • A small number of studies • Pairing communication strategies with appropriate metacognitive strategy training could enhance learners’ awareness of strategy use and develop their communication skills(Cohen et al., 1998; Dörnyei, 1995; O’Malley et al., 1985)

10. Yasuo Nakatani 2005 • To examine the effect of oral communication strategy (OCS) training • 62 female students (control group=34; training group= 28) • In a 12-week EFL classes at a private college in Japan

11. Yasuo Nakatani 2005 • Data collection: • pre- and post-course oral communication test scores; • transcription data from the tests; • retrospective protocol data

12. Findings (Nakatani, 2005) • Improve their oral proficiency test scores • Make longer utterances • Use more achievement strategies (e.g., modified interaction, modified output, time-gaining, & maintenance strategies) • Become aware of oral communication strategies

13. Reading comprehension strategies studies • Teachers found it easier to teach strategies in the native language (Chamot & Keatley, 2003) • Have more impact on higher proficiency students (Ikeda & Takeuchi, 2003) • Task difficulty, proficiency level, and use of strategies (Oxford et al., 2004)

14. Ikeda & Takeuchi, 2003 • 210 students of English at a Japanese university • An experimental and a control group • Explicit reading strategy instruction to the experimental group (8 weeks) (e.g., making inferences, using selective attention, using imagery) • Pre- and posttests, survey

15. Ikeda & Takeuchi, 2003 • Affect the high proficiency level group • Low proficiency students may need a focus on bottom-up processing strategies • Retain their use of reading strategies 5 months after the instruction

16. Vocabulary strategies studies • Many learners use more strategies for learning vocabularies than for other linguistic aspects(Schmitt,1997) • Good learners use a variety of strategies (Schmitt,1997)

17. Vocabulary strategies studies • ‘mechanical strategies’ such as memorization, note-taking, and repetition are used more often than strategies that involve deep processing such as guessing, imagery and the keyword technique (Schmitt,1997)

18. Fan 2003 • 1067 students from 7 institutions of higher education in Hong Kong • The vocabulary test • The vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire (management, sources, guessing, dictionary, repetition, association, grouping, analysis, known words)

19. Fan 2003 • The more proficient students reported using more sources, guessing, dictionary and known words strategies • Less proficient students used repetition and association strategies more often • Positive relationship between learner beliefs and strategy use

20. Fan 2003 • To conclude, the ‘secret to vocabulary learning’ may include helping students see the relevance of strategy use in learning L2 vocabulary, introducing them to the strategies used often by proficient vocabulary learners and, most important, encourage them to develop their own effective strategies for learning.

21. Writing strategies studies Two research projects : • He, 2002 (Taiwan) • Ma (2006)

22. He 2002 • 38 Taiwanese college-level writers • Two groups: mastery-orientation (intrinsic motivation to improve writing) and performance-orientation (extrinsic motivation to be better than other writers) • The strategies used by two groups: planning, monitoring/evaluation, revising, retrieving, & compensating

23. He 2002 • Writers in the mastery-orientation group used monitoring/evaluation, revising, and compensating strategies more frequently. • The mastery group produced better essays. • Revising strategies and mastery orientation served as two significant predictors of successful writing.

24. AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF WRITING MOTIVATION OF CHINESE EFL LEARNERS ---- Ma Huan, BFSU

25. Research questions • 1. What motivate Chinese non-English major college students to learn to write in English? • 2. Are there any gender differences in Chinese non-English major college students’ writing motivation?

26. Research questions • 3. What are Chinese EFL students and TEFL instructors’ attitudes towards learning to write in English in university? 4. What are Chinese EFL students and TEFL instructors’ attitudes towards current English writing instruction in university?

27. Methodology • Participants • Instruments • Data collection • Data analysis

28. Participants

29. Interviewees:

30. Instruments • A questionnaire: *modified from Language Learning Orientations Scale – Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, and Amotivation Subscales (Noels, et al., 2000) * measured by a 7-point Likert scale (1= I strongly disagree; 7= I strongly agree) • Two semi-structured interviews * one for students * one for instructors

31. Data collection • Pilot study: to test the reliability of the questionnaire (R= .77 ) • Study: * questionnaires: valid return rate: 91.9% * interview: four students two instructors

32. Data analysis • SPSS 11.0-to explore writing motivational orientations • ANOVA *to test whether demographic features (gender differences) had significant effects on various types of motivation

33. Qualitative analysis • Interview transcripts and students’ answers to the open question in questionnaires • Two perspectives (i.e., students and instructors)

34. Findings • Chinese EFL students had clear motivation to learn English writing. Furthermore, the participants learned to write in English with a stronger extrinsic motivation. (Identification was the first strongest motivation. )

37. Note: Q3: In order to get a better job later on, I learn to write in English. Q8: I learn to write in English, because I choose to be the kind of person who can write in a second language.

38. Findings • Gender differences in writing motivation were rendered nonsignificant except on external regulation and identified regulation.

39. Findings • Instructors did not know their students very well. There was a gap between what the instructors’ belief of their students’ writing motivation and students’ expectation toward learning English writing.

40. “The students’ motivation is to pass the exam.” (Yang) “They (students) just want to write which is similar with the composition in CET 4.” (Yang) Instructors’ belief: for exam only

41. Instructors’ belief: for exam only • “The teaching of English writing is a waste of time.” (Yang) • “The students just write for assignments. They learn to write just for passing the exam.” (Wan)

42. Students’ motive: intrinsic motivation • “To write something in English is good. Sort of enjoy.” (Wang) • “It (to express my ideas in English) makes you feel more comfortable.” (Wang) -- Learn to write in English was necessary for a qualified graduate. (Zhu)

43. Students’ motive: intrinsic motivation -- “to write in English was enjoyable and could learn something. “ (Zhu) -- “I had learned English for so many years, then I should know how to write in English.” (Zhang)

44. What instructors provide • “The writing requirements and topics are similar to the writing section in CET 4 (College English Test Band 4) exam. As for other kinds of writing, they have no such ability to express what they want to write.” (Wan)

45. What instructors provide • “Students might not have much interest in this kind of writing (i.e., writing exercise in textbooks). But, as for other kinds of writing exercises, the students can not find any materials, therefore, they have nothing to write. (Yang)

46. What students want -- “I preferred challenging writing task.” (Zhu) -- “I felt that the topics (given by the instructor) were not related to our life. It was not authentic in real life.” (Li)

47. What students want -- practical writing (i.e., note, fax, etc.) -- “to learn something which was related to our life and could be used in our future life or work.” (the answers to the open question in questionnaire)

48. A Case Study of the Learning Strategy of Chinese College EFL Students Using SILL By Wang Ying BFSU

49. Research Questions • What is the pattern of language learning strategy use of Chinese college students learning English as a foreign language? • What is the relationship between the use of language learning strategies and English language proficiency?

50. Research Questions • What is the relation between the conception of strategy the students use and the actual strategy used by the students? • How do the students think of strategy training?