[1] Concurrent 3 Gender Differences

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN

LANGUAGE LEARNING

STRATEGY USE

Presenter: Nguyen Thu Hien

Cao Thuy Hong

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

OUTLINE

Introduction

Literature Review

Research Methodology

Data Analysis and Discussion

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Statement of the problem and rationale for the study

Cognitive view of learning:

Language learning = a dynamic and creative process

Language learners = active strategy users and

knowledge constructors

Chamot & O’Malley (1994)

LearnersTeaching methods

How learners approach learning

The kinds of strategies and cognitive processing they use


Learning strategies:

“Learning strategies are optimal means for exploiting

available information to improve competence in a second

language”

(Bialystock 1987: 71)

Learning strategies = “one of the most important

variables influencing performance in a second language”

(Oxford, 1989: 238)


•Target language

•Setting

•Task performed

•Gender

Gender = “a profound” choice on strategy choice

(Oxford & Nyiko, 1989: 545)

•Belief

•Affective states

•Learner factors

•Learning experiences

Individual learner differences

Situational and social factorsLearner’s

choice of

learning

strategies

Research questions

What are EFL learning strategies employed by

the students?

Is there a significant difference in the frequency

of EFL learning strategy used by the male and

female students?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Gender differences in second language learning strategies

There are significant differences between male and female students’

use of LLS with females using those more frequently.

Green & Oxford (1995), Lan & Oxford (2003), Chang, Liu & Lee (2007), etc.

Young and Oxford’s (1997) study on the strategies used by native English-

speaking learners of Spanish found no significant differences between

males and females in their use of LLS.

Tercanlioglu (2004) in a quantitative data analysis on gender differences

in language learning strategies used by foreign language learners in a

Turkish University, report significant gender differences, favouring

males in students’ strategy use.

RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

Research approachQuantitative approach

… a methodology that aims to determine the relationship between one thing (an

independent variable) and another (a dependent variable) in a population.

Hopkins (2000)

…“a formal, objective, systematic process ..."

(Burns and Grove cited in Cormack, 1991:140).

“…far more manageable and easier to analyze” (O’Malley & Chamot, 1995: 94).

Qualitative approach “provide the depth of information” (O’Malley & Chamot, 1995: 94)

Participants

72 second- year students at a public university

in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Gender: 27 males + 45 females.

Major: finance and banking

Age: 19- 21 years old

Characteristics: confident, self- motivated, lively

Proficiency level: Intermediate

Methods of data collection

Advantages

Afford good deal of

precision and clarity

Data can be gathered in

different time slots, but the

data is comparable

Simplify data manipulation

Disadvantages

Sometimes, unreliable because the

informants are careless in responding.

Informants may not understand the

strategy descriptions in the

questionnaires.

It is often hard to elaborate on

informants’ answers.

Low rate of return

QUESTIONNAIRES


Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language

Learning (SILL)- version 7.0

Translate the questionnaires into Vietnamese

Pilot the questionnaires

Revise the questionnaires

Deliver the questionnaires

Steps of constructing the questionnaires


Students are “more motivated to response in a interview because they

are pleased to have someone take personal interest in their learning

processes” (O’ Malley & Chamot, 1995: 94)

INFORMAL INTERVIEW

• Participants: 8 students (4 males + 4 females)

• Language of the interview: Vietnamese

• Audio- taping the interview

Emerging themes from the questionnaires

Methods of data analysis• Mean scores for each question item

• Average mean scores of the six categories of LLS

SPSS

version 16.0

Frequencies (Means, SD) of LLS used by students

Significant relationships?

Gender and LLS use in general?

Gender and specific strategies in the categories?

T- test Spearman’s rho two- tailed test

Used for data analysis

Data from the questionnaires

Data from interview

Coded

Partly translated

into English

Steps of the research Identifying the sample, accessed the prospective informants

to invite them to participate.

Constructing, piloting and revising the questionnaires

Distributing and collecting questionnaires

Analyzing data from questionnaires

Indentifying emerging themes in the questionnaires

Formulating and revising the interview questions

Interviewing a group of informants

DATA ANALYSIS

AND

DISCUSSION

Data analysis and discussionResearch question 1:

What are the EFL learning strategies employed by the students?

N Mean Std. Deviation Frequency Ranking

A- Memory 72 2.58 (Medium use .50492 2

B- Cognitive 72 2.87 (Medium use) .46744 4

C- Compensation 72 3.35 (Medium use) .62123 6

D- Metacognitive 72 3.02 (Medium use) .61988 5

E- Affective 72 2.24 .29539 1

F- Social 72 2.61 (Medium use) .34364 3

Overall strategy use72 2.78 (Medium use) .37833

Note: Scores were rounded to 2 decimal places. 6 = most frequently used; 1= least frequently used

Data analysis and discussion

“I see no point in writing a diary. I think it’s a girly thing” (M1, 4)

“At home, I usually revise the lesson in class, note down the new words and

structures and look up the new words in the dictionary” (M2, 3; F 1, 4)

“In class, I underline the new words in the reading text or write down the new

words in a notebook. Then I ask the teacher for the meaning and write down

the meaning; sometimes look up the meaning of the new words at home

using a dictionary, write the meaning in the notebook and try to learn the new

words. ” (F3)

Research question 1:

What are the EFL learning strategies employed by the students?

Data analysis and discussionComparing the current research findings with others

Study 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Overall

This study

Compensation(M= 3.35)

Metacognitive(M= 3.02)

Cognitive(M= 2.87)

Social(M= 2.61)

Memory(M= 2.58)

Affective(M= 2.24)

M= 2.78

(1)Chinese



Affective (M= 3.22)

Cognitive(M= 3.21)

Social(M= 3.12)

Memory(M= 2.91

M= 3.25

(2) Chinese



Cognitive(M= 3.27)

Affective(M= 3.16)

Social(M= 3.07)

Memory(M= 2.88)

(3) Taiwanes

e


Memory(M= 2.93)

Metacognitve(M= 2.91)

Social(M= 2.90)

Cognitive(M= 2.84)

Affective(M= 2.80) M= 2.89

(4)Turkish



Cognitive(M= 3.23)

Memory(M= 3.22)

Social(M= 3.14)

Affective(M= 2.28)

(5)Korean


Social(M= 2.94)

Cognitive(M= 2.90)

Memory(M= 2.74)


Affective(M= 2.43)

Most frequently used Least frequently used

Data analysis and discussionResearch question 2:

Is there a significant difference in the frequency of EFL learning strategy

used by the male and female students?

7272N

..092Sig. (2-tailed)

1.000.200Correlation CoefficientLLS total score

7272N

.092.Sig. (2-tailed)

.2001.000Correlation CoefficientgenderSpearman's rho

LLS total scoregender

Table 7: Correlations between gender and language learning strategy use

(> .05)

No association between the two variables

Data analysis and discussion

Strategies FemaleN= 45

MaleN= 27

r p Comments

M SD M SD

A. Memory 2.6051 .48705 2.5474 .54091 .060 .615 r: close to “0”p > .05

B. Cognitive 2.8529 .47414 2.9156 .46225 .001 .995

C. Compensation 3.4329 .58378 3.2222 .66958 .172 .149

D. Metacognitive 3.0491 .64011 2.9667 .59285 .075 .532

E. Affective 2.3236 .27531 2.1059 .28152 .399 .001 r=.399 (moderate)p < .05

F. Social 2.7082 .31979 2.4559 .32879 .399 .001

Correlations between gender and sub- categories of language learning strategy useN= 72

Independent variable: Gender

"When I feel stressful, not just in my study but also in my

daily life, I usually need to cry and get it all out" (F2)

"When I am stressful, I often find someone who I can

confide. We can talk over the problem. And then once I've

had a chance to talk through all the things I usually feel

better." (F3)

just “let it pass and moved on.” (M1).

CONCLUSION

Summary of the findings

Students are medium strategy users with the average mean score of

2.78.

Of the six sub-categories listed in Oxford’s (1990) SILL,

compensation and metacognitive were used most frequently.

Memory and affective strategies were the least frequently used

strategies.

The range of sub- strategies used by the students is also limited.

Summary of the findings

There were no significant differences between male and female

students’ overall use of strategies.

Differences were only reported in male and female students’ use of

social and affective strategies with females being the more frequent

users.

Recommendations

At institutional level:

Convince teachers that learning strategies can be effective for their

students (Wilson, 1988, cited in Chamot & O’Malley, 1995)

Organize workshops, collaborative planning and classroom

observation feedback with peers (Joyce & Showers, 1987)

Develop the materials and curriculum that would enable teachers to

carry out their strategy training

Emphasize strategy training

Recommendations

For teachers:

Integrate strategy trainings into the lesson through

well- organized activities.

Help students gradually reduce their anxiety by using

mental techniques

Create a positive attitude towards making error in class

Make use of diary, journal writing and informal sharing

in the classroom

Limitations of the research and suggestions for further research

Limitation Suggestions

Research tool- questionnaires:

the strategies reported are those that the subjects perceived themselves as using.

Further research to decide whether these strategies are actually used by the students or not

(immediate verbalization).

Population:

-Small (72 students)

-All at intermediate level

The research result can hardly be generalized to a bigger population

-Bigger scope

-Focus on different levels of proficiency

Limitations of the research and suggestions for further research

Other suggestions

Areas for further research:

the relationship between gender, language learning

strategies and language proficiency

Strategy training

Technology

[1] Concurrent 3 Gender Differences