Learning Strategy Applications with Students of English as a Second Language

TLDR

Learning strategies are crucial for second‑language acquisition, yet key questions about their use and impact remain unresolved. This study aims to describe the range and frequency of strategy use among ESL students and to evaluate the effect of strategy training on their English skills. High‑school ESL students participated in a two‑phase study: Phase I involved interviews to catalogue task‑related strategies, and Phase II randomly assigned students to receive training on vocabulary, listening, and speaking tasks. Students employed many strategies but favored familiar ones for discrete tasks, while strategy training generally improved performance on integrative language tasks, suggesting pedagogical benefits.

Abstract

Recent research on cognition has indicated the importance of learning strategies in gaining command over second language skills. Despite these recent advancements, important research questions related to learning strategies remain to be answered. These questions concern 1) the range and frequency of learning strategy uses by students learning English as a second language (ESL) and 2) the effects of training in learning strategies on English language skills. This study, which was conducted with high school ESL students, was carried out in two phases corresponding to the two research questions. In Phase I, ESL students and their teachers were interviewed to identify strategies associated with a range of tasks typically found in ESL classrooms and in other settings. Results indicated that students used a variety of learning strategies but typically used more familiar strategies and applied them to discrete-point rather than integrative tasks. In Phase II, ESL students were randomly assigned to receive learning strategies training on vocabulary, listening, and speaking tasks. Results varied depending on the task but generally indicated that strategy training can be effective for integrative language tasks. Results are discussed in terms of implications for teaching and future research.