Browsing by Subject "Language learning strategies"
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Item Enhancing the capabilities of Arabic learners : language learning strategies in the Arabic classroom(2012-05) Ebner, Gregory Ralph; Al-Batal, Mahmoud; Horwitz, Elaine K.; Raizen, Esther L.; Brustad, Kristen; Raz, AdiSince Joan Rubin opened the discussion of the existence of techniques of memorization, recall, and production that marked the performance of successful learners of foreign languages, the study of Language Learning Strategies (LLS) has expanded into innumerable directions. Such studies have attempted to establish a link between LLS use and improved student performance in the classroom and beyond, determine what drives students to select particular strategies for use, and analyzed the effectiveness of LLS instruction. Few studies have examined the relationship between LLS and the study of Arabic as a foreign language. The present study identifies, among university-level students of Arabic, the LLS whose use is associated with student language success. Using a combination of survey response analysis and classroom observation, the study highlights the benefits of 17 separate strategies and recommends a phased introduction of those strategies to students in order to maximize their potential effect. The study then moves on to explore the role of the Arabic instructor in student strategy use, determining the effectiveness of current methods of strategy instruction and provides recommendations to the Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) field that may improve the techniques used to impart strategic learning competence to students of the language. In the final section of analysis, the study turns toward the Arabic textbooks that most commonly used in American colleges and universities and examines the level of support that these texts provide to the development of strategic learning methods within students, providing advice to instructors and learning materials developers intended to enhance presentation of strategies. The ultimate goal of these suggestions is improving the overall strategic capability of students of Arabic so that they can become more independent learners, capable of continuing study of the language beyond the boundaries of the university classroom.Item Korean students' language learning strategy use in different contexts : ESL and EFL contexts(2005-12-24) Choi, Ji-Young; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-The first purpose of this study is to investigate differences in language learning strategies used by Koreans in an ESL (English as a Second Language) context – in the U.S. – to those used in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) context – in Korea. The second purpose is to discover the reasons behind the different strategy use. Subjects were six students studying in undergraduate or graduate programs at the University of Texas at Austin. First, they responded to the self-report questionnaire, Oxford’s SILL (Strategy Inventory for Language Learning). Based on their responses on the SILL, forty-five minute interviews were conducted with each participant. The study found that: (1) the participants’ overall strategy use increased in the U.S., (2) the increase or decrease in strategy use in different contexts was related to the learner’s motivation, (3) their use of social and metacognitive strategies increased most in the U.S. while use of memory strategies showed the least change, (4) they knew most strategies in Korea, (5) they have realized the importance of speaking and writing in an ESL context and use strategies related to these two skills more frequently, (6) some strategies are used less in an ESL context because learners intentionally avoid them after finding them unhelpful or they do not have to try to use the strategies in different context, (7) the SILL does not reflect different contexts of different learnersItem Language learning strategies : a compilation of research and taxonomies(2012-05) Speer, Mary Elisabeth; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-; Pulido, Diana C.Among learning characteristics for L2 learners, language learning strategies are one characteristic that has the potential of being influenced by language instruction. This report attempts to review the most salient research and taxonomies for LLS to provide a comprehensive overview for those who would like to teach, learn, or conduct more research in the field. It records various definitions that have been assigned to LLS and traces the history of LLS research that has accumulated over the past thirty years. It also reviews empirical research that has been conducted by applying certain taxonomies to find relationships between other learner characteristics. Finally, it looks into ways that LLS can be applied to the four language skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing, and discusses research designed to analyze the effectiveness of Strategy Based Instruction for the specific skills. The concluding section finds particular avenues for further research and application of LLS.Item Language learning strategies and beliefs about language learning of university students learning English in Korea(1995) Park, Gi-pyo, 1964-; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-; Garza, Thomas J.This study identifies Korean university students' use of language learning strategies and their beliefs about language learning, followed by an investigation of the relationships among their beliefs, strategy use, and L2 proficiency. The students' use of learning strategies and their beliefs were identified by the factor analytic findings of two self-report questionnaires, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL, ESL/EFL Student Version) and the Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI, ESL Student Version), and L2 proficiency was determined by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The subjects were 332 students attending two universities in Korea. Four underlying factors were discovered in the SILL: independent and interactive practice strategies, metacognitive strategies, communication-affective strategies, and memory strategies. The Korean university students in this study used more metacognitive and memory strategies than communication-affective and independent and interactive practice strategies. Four underlying factors were found in the BALLI as well: motivational beliefs and beliefs about formal English, self-efficacy and beliefs about social interaction, beliefs about learning spoken English, and beliefs about foreign language aptitude. The results of Pearson correlations among the four belief variables (factors of the BALLI), the four strategy variables (factors of the SILL), and a proficiency variable (the TOEFL scores) show that the students' beliefs, learning strategy use, and L2 proficiency are generally related. However, these relationships depend on specific types of beliefs and learning strategies. A multiple regression analysis with the TOEFL scores as a criterion variable and eight belief and strategy variables as predictor variables indicates that belief and strategy variables share a total variance of 16% with the TOEFL scores. Considering that the theoretical foundation of language learning strategies and beliefs about language learning comes from cognitive psychology, specifically information-processing theory, one of the findings of this study--the roles of language learning strategies and beliefs about language learning in adult L2 proficiency--provides evidence that adult L2 acquisition may be the result of information-processingItem Language learning strategies, strategy training, and the 6 Steps to Success(2012-05) Spronz, Kaitlyn Ann; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-; Pulido, Diana C.Language learning strategies (LLS) have been a popular topic in the SLA literature since their conception by Joan Rubin in 1975. In the beginning, the focus was placed on what constituted an LLS and which learner variables affected strategy use. More recently, the field has moved to the practical application of LLS research: strategy training. Strategy training research has focused on student and teacher beliefs, classroom culture and students’ culture, explicit vs. implicit instruction, and language of instruction and has had largely positive findings. These issues are explored, then made manifest in a review of four popular strategy training models: The CALLA, Oxford, Grenfell and Harris, and SBI. Drawing on the LLS research and these four models, I propose a new model for strategy training: the 6 Steps to Success. As the title indicates, the 6 Steps to Success includes 6 steps: 1) beginning of course assessment/awareness raising; 2) continued assessment of student needs/awareness raising; 3) explicit teaching and modeling; 4) practice; 5) evaluation, 6) end of course evaluation. Five lesson plans are then given to demonstrate the 6 Steps to Success in action.Item Taiwanese university students’ beliefs about language learning and strategy use in an EFL exit test environment(2012-08) Kao, Tung-Wei; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-; Schallert, Diane L.; Resta, Paul E.; Borich, Gary D.; Callahan, Rebecca M.To understand learners’ beliefs about language learning and strategy use in an EFL exit test environment, this study investigated Taiwanese university students’ language learning beliefs; EFL exit test beliefs; language learning, test-preparation, and test-taking strategies; the relationships among their beliefs and strategy use; and the differences in students’ beliefs and strategy use according to their major, gender, grade level, entrance exam English score, and EFL exit test experience. A total of 518 Taiwanese university students participated in the questionnaire study. Two major instruments were developed and used to measure students’ beliefs and strategy use in the Taiwanese EFL exit test context: (1) the Belief about Language Learning in an EFL Exit test Context (BALLIEETC), and (2) the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning in an EFL Exit test Context (SILLEETC). Analysis of the questionnaire data involved descriptive statistics, factor analysis, canonical correlation analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance. The questionnaire results suggested the following: (1) students believed in the importance of speaking English well, repeating and practicing, learning vocabulary words, acquiring excellent pronunciation, and correcting errors; (2) students primarily used memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, test-preparation, and test-taking strategies to learn English, prepare for the EFL exit test, and take the test; (3) students’ beliefs were associated with their strategy use; (4) English majors had stronger beliefs and higher levels of strategy use than non-English majors; (5) students with higher entrance exam English scores had stronger beliefs and higher levels of strategy use than those of lower scores; (6) college seniors believed more in foreign language aptitude and use test-taking strategies more often than freshmen; (7) students who had taken and passed an EFL exit test had stronger beliefs and higher levels of strategy use than those who had not taken a test. The results of this study support an association between learners’ beliefs and strategy use. Understanding students’ beliefs about language learning and the EFL exit test, as well as their use of language-learning, test-preparation, and test-taking strategies, may enable EFL teachers to help students develop effective language learning, test-preparation, and test-taking strategies and improve their English abilities and EFL exit test performance. The field of second language acquisition may also benefit from insights into students’ beliefs and their use of strategies in an EFL exit test environment. The EFL exit test may affect students’ beliefs about language learning and strategy use, such as their having stronger beliefs about the importance of vocabulary and higher levels of memory strategy use.