Factors that Affect Language Learning Strategies

AFIQAH NURAINI BINTI MD NOR(A143857)

Five Factors that Affect Language Learning Strategies

1. Gender2. Motivation3. Experiences4. Cultural background5. Learning styles

GENDER

Griffiths, 2003A significant relationship between strategy use and course level was found, while there was no statistically significant differences according to

either gender or age with strategy use.

Green & Oxford, 1995Female students used Compensation and Affective strategies more frequently than the male ones.Tran, 1988; Wharton, 2000Males used learning strategies more than females when learning a language.

MOTIVATION

MacLeod, 2002 The strategy use was not affected by the

participants’ particular motivational orientation (whether instrumental or integrative), but,

rather, by motivational level.

Tamada, 1996Both intergrative and instrumental motivation had a significant effect on learners’ choice of

LLSs.

Chang and Huang, 1999•The study showed that the total number of

learning strategies were associated with motivational level.

•Social strategies were the least frequently used strategies by the participants and the only one

associated with extrinsic motivation.

EXPERIENCES

Purdie and Oliver, 1999 The language learning strategies used by

bilingual school-aged children coming from three main cultural groups: Asian

(predominantly Vietnamese or Chinese dialect speakers), European (children who spoke Greek

and those who identified themselves as speakers of Macedonian), and speakers of

Arabic

Carlson, 1990Studying abroad is deemed to have an influence

on students’ thought and learning style, especially in their actual ability in language

learning.

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

Oxford, 1994Taiwanese students seem far more structured, analytical, memory-based, and metacognitively

oriented than other groups.Politzerof & McGroarty, 1985

To use certain types of strategies, and many language learning strategies may be based on

ethnocentric assumptions about effective language learning.

Bedell (1993) •Different cultural groups use particular kinds of strategies at different levels of frequency (cited

in Oxford et al., 1995). Furthermore, Asian students

•Asian students tend to prefer rote memorisation and rule-oriented strategies

O’Malley & Chamot, 1990Asian students prefer their own established rote learning strategies, and showed Asian students to be less willing than Hispanic students to try

new learning techniques (O’Malley et al., 1985).

LEARNING STYLES

Ehrman and Oxford, 1990Show a strong preference for social strategies, while introverts use metacognitive strategies

more frequently.Rossi-Le, 1995

Learners who favour group study are shown to use social and interactive strategies, such as

working with peers or requesting clarification.

THE END