An examination of language learning strategy use in the setting of an indigenized variety of English

Abstract

This paper reports on the language learning strategies of a group of learners not represented in previous studies of learning strategies, namely, Indian college students ( n=1261), studying English in the environment of an indigenized variety of English. The data for the study were collected through the English Language Learning Strategies Inventory (ELLSI), a questionnaire specifically designed for this study. Results indicated that Indian college students use learning strategies included in ELLSI with high to moderate frequency (on a scale of 1–5) and that their cultural and educational backgrounds seem to influence some of the strategies they use. In general, the results were consistent with those previously reported in studies on the learning strategies of students studying in other environments: female students reported significantly more frequent use of strategies than male students, as did students whose proficiency in English was high. Results of factor analysis suggested that Indian students seem to favor, on the one hand, functional practice strategies that would help them boost their communicative performance in English and, on the other, rely on examination-oriented memory strategies that would help them succeed in the examination-driven educational system. The paper also includes background information and discussion of the English language situation in India and of the learning and teaching of English at college level.