Abstract:

Although there are many recent studies dealing with language learning strategies and language learning including those by Dornyei, 2005, Griffiths, 2003, Murray, 2010, Oxford, 1990, and Skehan, 1991, there is still not enough data indicating which of the language learning strategies might be most useful for language learning. This study analyzed the similarities and differences between language learning strategies of two groups of college students, Beginners and Intermediate.

In this study, college students in a public university, who were at different language learning levels, were tested using the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) (Oxford, 1990), to determine how many and which language learning strategies were used by most students, and if there was a correlation between language learning strategies and grades earned. On a scale of 0 – 4.0, the average use of SILL strategies was 2.99 for Beginner students and 3.2 for Intermediate students. One of the reasons for this difference may be that Intermediate students used on average 10 more learning strategies consistently than Beginner students. Although the differences in language learning strategies used by the Beginner and Intermediate groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.035), sample size was small, N=24 for Beginners, and N= 19 for Intermediate. There is evidence of a Pearson correlation between use of language learning strategies and higher grades earned in Spanish classes, 0.49 for Beginner students and 0.42 for Intermediate students.

Further analysis of the types of strategies used by language learners indicate that whereas a majority of Beginner students used most consistently only one strategy, the cognitive strategy of “Using reference materials such as dictionaries”, most Intermediate students employed not only this cognitive strategy but also cognitive, compensation and metacognitive operations such as “Taking notes”, “Using gestures or L1” and “Finding a quiet place to review”. The issue of training teachers and addressing multiple learning strategies in the language classroom is discussed.