Choice Of Learning Strategies Research Articles

PROFICIENCY LEVEL AND LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGY CHOICE OF ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY LEARNERS IN INDONESIA

This study explores the relation between language proficiency level and language learning strategy choice of EFL learners at an Islamic university in Indonesia. Two hundred and eighty four participants classified based on their proficiency levels (high, medium, and low) as determined by their achievement results completed the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) version 7.0 questionnaires. The findings indicated that there was a linear relationship between proficiency level and strategy use; the higher the proficiency level, the higher the number of strategies employed. Furthermore, it was also found that higher proficiency level learners tended to choose meta-cognitive strategies; they usually managed learning by conscientious planning, monitoring, and evaluating their own learning. The findings also demonstrated that low proficiency level learners were inclined to choose affective strategies, meaning that they were concerned with the emotional requirements such as confidence. The findings of this study provide contribution to further development of existing global theories about language learner strategies, and are beneficial for classroom practice in the Indonesian context, especially in raising EFL teachers’ awareness about ways in improving student learning.

The Effects of Different Reciting Styles of Quran on Emotions among University Students

This study examined the effects of Quran recitation on the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) of 30 undergraduate students who study in University Malaysia Pahang (UMP). One of the important effects of the Quran on student learning and achievement is reflected in emotions. Emotions control the attention of students, influence their motivation to learn, modify their choice of learning strategies and affect their self-regulation of learning. Furthermore, emotions are part of student identity, and they affect personality development, psychological health and physical health. Repeated measures quasi experimental design method was conducted, thirty undergraduate students whom participated in the test were divided into two groups; good Quran reciters group and weak Quran reciters group, every student has been attending four sessions. In the first session, the reciter focused on Tajweed rules, the second session student focused on some stories in a certain Surah, third session focused on certain verses of heaven, hell and punishment in Quran, and last session focused on understanding the meaning of the Quran and at the end of this session the student reads text from a newspaper. The parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) were measured to examine the outcome. The results show a clear difference in HRV data between good and weak readers, good readers have control of their heart actions and reactions. Thus, the good reciter students have high score in HRV and better control of their heart function. The conclusion of this study showed that the Quran recitation significantly effects on the emotions of Quran reciters. Quran effects on psychological comfort for students by increased relaxation and reduced stress

Students' approaches to learning in a clinical practicum: A psychometric evaluation based on item response theory

BackgroundThe investigation of learning approaches in the clinical workplace context has remained an under-researched area. Despite the validation of learning approach instruments and their applications in various clinical contexts, little is known about the extent to which an individual item, that reflects a specific learning strategy and motive, effectively contributes to characterizing students' learning approaches. ObjectivesThis study aimed to measure nursing students' approaches to learning in a clinical practicum using the Approaches to Learning at Work Questionnaire (ALWQ). DesignSurvey research design was used in the study. Settings and ParticipantsA sample of year 3 nursing students (n = 208) who undertook a 6-week clinical practicum course participated in the study. MethodsFactor analyses were conducted, followed by an item response theory analysis, including model assumption evaluation (unidimensionality and local independence), item calibration and goodness-of-fit assessment. ResultsTwo subscales, deep and surface, were derived. Findings suggested that: (a) items measuring the deep motive from intrinsic interest and deep strategies of relating new ideas to similar situations, and that of concept mapping served as the strongest discriminating indicators; (b) the surface strategy of memorizing facts and details without an overall picture exhibited the highest discriminating power among all surface items; and, (c) both subscales appeared to be informative in assessing a broad range of the corresponding latent trait. The 21-item ALWQ derived from this study presented an efficient, internally consistent and precise measure. ConclusionsFindings provided a useful psychometric evaluation of the ALWQ in the clinical practicum context, added evidence to the utility of the ALWQ for nursing education practice and research, and echoed the discussions from previous studies on the role of the contextual factors in influencing student choices of different learning strategies. They provided insights for clinical educators to measure nursing students' approaches to learning and facilitate their learning in the clinical practicum setting.

Extrovert versus Introvert Students: What EFL Learning Strategy do They Use?

<em>Since Indonesian students come from different cultures, languages and personality traits as well, recognizing their personality traits and their language learning strategy choice might be effective to help teacher design an effective teaching strategies to achieve learning objectives. This study was intended to find out (1) what personality traits Indonesian senior high school students fell into, and (2) to investigate what language learning strategies introvert and extrovert students used highly frequently. The 58 participants aged from sixteen to eighteen years old who were from the third grade of senior high school and were all from science class were given eighteen statements of McCroskey’s introversion scale to categorize them into extrovert and introvert and were administered with 32 statements of English Language Learning Strategy Inventory or ELLSI to see their learning strategy. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics in terms of mean frequencies and statistical differences. The finding revealed that majority of senior high school students majoring science study program fell into introvert with 89.6% (52 students). Besides, extrovert students used more language learning strategy highly frequently than introvert students with eight items compared to introvert students with only five items. Interestingly, both extrovert and introvert students share four strategy items in common. Although it is statistically not significant (ρ > 0.05), the finding also shows that extrovert students seemed to use affective strategy more than introverts who used memory strategy highly frequently.</em>

Context Determines Strategies for 'Activating' the Inclusive Classroom.

A number of reports have called for the transformation of college science pedagogy. For instructors interested in transforming their own classrooms, the number of approaches, tools, and literature on pedagogical transformation can be overwhelming. The literature is rich with examples of the positive significant effects of active learning, but is lacking on frameworks that can help guide implementation. In this manuscript, I use Fink’s conceptual framework for “creating significant learning experiences” and a conceptual framework for inclusive teaching and learning to focus on how situation-specific drivers inform the choice of active learning strategies. I argue essentially that while, on average, active learning may promote greater academic outcomes, the context of the implementation matters. Using personal examples and evidence from the literature, I provide a Perspective here on why context considerations should be the main drivers of effective pedagogies.

Effectiveness of Read-aloud Instruction on Motivation and Learning Strategy among Japanese College EFL Students

Poor English performance among Japanese college EFL students has often been explained by grammar-translation and lecture-memorization instruction. This study investigated the effectiveness of a recently designed teaching method, namely, “The read-aloud instruction package,” which consists of four major activities: Slash/chunked reading practice (S/CRP), repeated read-aloud practice (RRAP), cloze test, and simultaneous read-aloud and write-out practice (SRAWOP). The study also examined how EFL college students’ motivation to learn English and their choice of EFL learning strategies changed after intensive three-month’ instruction using these methods. Thirty-two participants with an elementary level of English proficiency completed a pretest and posttest using the TOEIC Bridge®, Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and a motivation survey. Results indicated that the participants’ score on the posttests on the TOEIC Bridge® improved significantly, but no change was found in their motivation. As to EFL learning strategy, the study found that the participants used more mental processes but less learning with others strategy after the instruction. The article discusses some possible explanations of the effectiveness of the read-aloud instruction package from cognitive and neuro-linguistic perspectives.

Relationship of prior knowledge and working engineers’ learning preferences: implications for designing effective instruction

ABSTRACTContinuing engineering education (CEE) is important to ensure engineers maintain proficiency over the life of their careers. However, relatively few studies have examined designing effective training for working engineers. Research has indicated that both learner instructional preferences and prior knowledge can impact the learning process, but it has not established if these factors are interrelated. The study reported here considered relationships of prior knowledge and three aspects of learning preferences of working engineers at a manufacturing company: learning strategy choices, verbal-visual cognitive styles, and multimedia preferences. Prior knowledge was not found to be significantly related to engineers’ learning preferences, indicating independence of effects of these variables on learning. The study also examined relationships of this finding to the Multimedia Cone of ion and implications for its use as an instructional design tool for CEE.

Pharmacists' knowledge and interest in developing counseling skills relating to oral contraceptives.

Possessing correct therapeutic information on oral contraceptives is an important prerequisite for the provision of sound advice to women who are using these products. This study examines Egyptian pharmacists' knowledge of pharmacotherapeutic aspects of oral contraceptives as well as interest in developing skills in providing counseling on oral contraceptive pills. Community pharmacies throughout Alexandria, Egypt. A cross-sectional survey was self-administered by a random sample of community pharmacists in Alexandria, Egypt. Five multiple choice questions likely to arise when counseling women on oral contraceptives were constructed. Questions covered compatibility with breastfeeding, precautions, health risks and managing missed pills of oral contraceptives. Using ordered logistic regression, a model was estimated to predict pharmacists' interest in developing skills in providing counseling on oral contraceptives. Pharmacists' aggregate scores for knowledge questions and pharmacists' interest in developing skills in providing counseling on oral contraceptive pills. Of the 181 approached pharmacists, 92 % participated. Twenty one pharmacists (13 %) did not know the correct answer to any question, 122 (73 %) answered one-two correctly, 23 (14 %) answered three-four correctly. No pharmacist answered all five questions correctly. For pharmacists' interest in developing skills in providing counseling on oral contraceptives, the percentage values for answers were: not interested at all (10.2 %), slightly interested (27.0 %), somewhat interested (23.4 %), interested (30.0 %) and extremely interested (9.6 %). Pharmacists' interest in developing skills in providing counseling on oral contraceptives was significantly associated with the number of women who requested advice from the pharmacists on oral contraceptives (OR 1.54, CI 1.24-1.91). In terms of the learning method of preference, percentage values for answers were: attending a workshop (4 %), online course (18 %), publications distributed to pharmacy (44 %), other methods (1 %) and more than one method (23 %). Ten percent were not interested in developing their skills on oral contraceptives. This study identifies considerable gaps among community pharmacists' knowledge of oral contraceptives. It also shows variation in willingness and choice of learning strategies among pharmacists to develop their skills in providing counseling on oral contraceptives.

The relationship between anxiety, shyness, ambiguity tolerance, and language learning strategies

AbstractResearch has indicated that there is an association between the use and choice of learning strategies and different variables like learning contexts, learner characteristics, learning experiences, language proficiency, and cultural and educational backgrounds. To add to the thriving body of knowledge in this area, the present study, therefore, was an attempt to identify the relationship between learner characteristics of shyness, anxiety, ambiguity tolerance, and language learning strategies (LLS). To this end, 132 advanced and pre-intermediate female and male students between the ages of 16 and 18 in one language institute in Iran participated in this study. All the participants were invited to fill out four questionnaires to operationalize the above constructs. The results of a one-way between-groups multivariate analysis of variance showed that the most shy, the most anxious, and the least ambiguity tolerant learners use more strategies. No significant correlation was observed between anxiety a...

Approaches to Learning to Control Dynamic Uncertainty

In dynamic environments, when faced with a choice of which learning strategy to adopt, do people choose to mostly explore (maximizing their long term gains) or exploit (maximizing their short term gains)? More to the point, how does this choice of learning strategy influence one’s later ability to control the environment? In the present study, we explore whether people’s self-reported learning strategies and levels of arousal (i.e., surprise, stress) correspond to performance measures of controlling a Highly Uncertain or Moderately Uncertain dynamic environment. Generally, self-reports suggest a preference for exploring the environment to begin with. After which, those in the Highly Uncertain environment generally indicated they exploited more than those in the Moderately Uncertain environment; this difference did not impact on performance on later tests of people’s ability to control the dynamic environment. Levels of arousal were also differentially associated with the uncertainty of the environment. Going beyond behavioral data, our model of dynamic decision-making revealed that, in actual fact, there was no difference in exploitation levels between those in the highly uncertain or moderately uncertain environments, but there were differences based on sensitivity to negative reinforcement. We consider the implications of our findings with respect to learning and strategic approaches to controlling dynamic uncertainty.

Learning styles and strategies for language use in the context of academic reading tasks

Abstract Although research has indicated that learning styles influence language learning strategy choices, many studies regard the two in isolation from each other. Additionally, most research in these areas is based on large-scale survey instruments that are removed from the context of language learning and use. This study represents an attempt to resolve these issues through two case studies of international students' learning strategy use on tasks in professional graduate programs in the US. Data gathered from interviews, documents, and task logs were analyzed first for strategy use on specific tasks, then for patterns that may indicate consistency according to learning style. The findings indicate that the participants' learning styles provide more predictability in strategy use on particular tasks than other factors such as discipline.

The struggling student: a thematic analysis from the self-regulated learning perspective.

Students who engage in self-regulated learning (SRL) are more likely to achieve academic success compared with students who have deficits in SRL and tend to struggle with academic performance. Understanding how poor SRL affects the response to failure at assessment will inform the development of better remediation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 55 students who had failed the final re-sit assessment at two medical schools in the UK to explore their use of SRL processes. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify the factors, from an SRL perspective, that prevented students from appropriately and adaptively overcoming failure, and confined them to a cycle of recurrent failure. Struggling students did not utilise key SRL processes, which caused them to make inappropriate choices of learning strategies for written and clinical formats of assessment, and to use maladaptive strategies for coping with failure. Their normalisation of the experience and external attribution of failure represented barriers to their taking up of formal support and seeking informal help from peers. This study identified that struggling students had problems with SRL, which caused them to enter a cycle of failure as a result of their limited attempts to access formal and informal support. Implications for how medical schools can create a culture that supports the seeking of help and the development of SRL, and improves remediation for struggling students, are discussed.

Causal Attributes of University Students and their Preferences in the Process of Evaluation of their Learning Activity Results

University training consists of several activities. One of the main activities is evaluation of its results. Integral part of the assessment is examining studentś knowledge. This process is demanding not only from the position of the student, but also of his/her teacher. Verification represents a specific system of diverse methods, forms and means, where the teacher is the decisive factor in their choice. Whether the choice is suitable or not, it is therefore reflected in the quality of the process and it also affects its outcome (which is the student's success or failure). To see the cause of failure or success is a factor that greatly influences the university student's motivation and choice of learning strategies. However, the same process provides the university teacher with feedback of the assessment process. Information that teachers receive may help them to improve their teaching activities. In conclusion we present preferences of causal attributes of studentś success or failure in the process of knowledge testing.

Promoting Second Language Learners’ Vocabulary Learning Strategies: Can Autonomy and Critical Thinking Make a Contribution?

Based on the findings of previous studies which highlight the role of vocabulary knowledge in English as a Foreign Language/English as a Second Language (EFL/ESL) learners’ learning process, this study investigated the relationship among EFL learners’ Critical Thinking (CT), Autonomy (AU), and choice of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS). To fulfill the purpose of this study, 100 male and female undergraduate EFL learners, between the ages of 18 and 25 (M age = 21) were randomly selected. These participants, who were receiving formal instruction by means of English as the main language along with learners’ first language, were asked to complete three questionnaires, estimating their CT, AU, and VLS. Analyzing the collected data by Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient revealed significant relationships between participants' AU and CT, CT and VLS, and AU and VLS. Furthermore, a linear regression through the stepwise method revealed that between CT and AU, AU is the best predictor of VLS. The findings of this provide EFL teachers, EFL learners, and syllabus designers with insights into the nature of VLS and the way it can be promoted through other internal factors.

Reading performance, learning strategies, gender and school language as related issues – PISA 2009 findings in Finland and Estonia

Reading is considered an important skill not only for academic success, but also for active participation in society. International student literacy assessments report gender differences in reading performance in favour of girls. These reports also show that students from schools with a minority or majority language tend to perform differently: in PISA 2009 in well-performing Finland, the Swedish-speaking schools performed at a lower level compared to the Finnish-speaking schools; in Estonia, the Estonian-speaking schools outperformed the Russian-speaking schools, despite the tests having been translated into each language. How students learn is closely related to their results. In literacy, the more advanced thinking and learning skills known as metacognition enhance the results. Metacognitive awareness can be developed through instruction in the classroom, and this has also resulted in significant improvements for students with rather low learning abilities. As it is teachers? and schools? opportunity to help their students by teaching these skills, their awareness of useful strategies could presumably be dependent on the school. So far only the PISA 2009 study has included student awareness of different learning strategies; therefore, the data here enable us to analyse how learning strategies relate to reading, gender or school language. In the current paper, the issues of reading proficiency, learning strategies, gender and school language are considered jointly. Alongside the theoretical background, results from several analyses of PISA 2009 are discussed to show how student awareness and choice of different learning strategies could explain the variation in reading results in boys and girls at student and school levels, and predict their reading test results. The two-level modelling analysis was used as a research method, since it allows us to draw reasonable statistical inferences for regression-type analyses under a hierarchical data structure, and where the factor of individuals being influenced by the group they belong to is explicitly taken into account.Acknowledgements:This research was supported by European Social Fund's Doctoral Studies and Internationalization Programme DoRa, which is carried out by Foundation Archimedes, project 1.2.0401.09-0070.

The influence of personality and social background upon the portrait of an autonomous language learner: The study of Higher Primary foreign language learners

Recent ministerial requirements in the core curriculum of general education, demand of teachers, and particularly language teachers that they create such environment in and beyond the classroom in which learners have an opportunity to gain the ability to plan, organize, evaluate as well as take responsibility for their own learning process . This phenomenon, known as learner autonomy , is the key to successful language learning. Success in foreign language learning evidently correlates with autonomous learning, as evidenced by numerous discussions in literature, Borg and Al-Busaidi (2012), Nunan (1991), Omaggio (1978), Rubin and Thompson (1983). What makes an autonomous and thus successful foreign language learner? This is a highly complex process which encompasses a variety of variable factors such as learner attitude towards a foreign language, learner motivation and organizational skills as well as individual characteristics devoted to age, gender, learner cognitive and learning styles, the choice of learning and communication strategies, intelligence, memory and various disorders which may hamper the development of autonomy. This paper aims at demonstrating how learner personality and social background influence learner autonomy in and off the classroom setting. The paper is supported by the study, carried out in 2013/2014, of various forms of autonomous behaviours generated by four English teachers and 115 English learners at the age of 11, 12 and 13 from two school backgrounds who were intensively observed during English lessons for a period of nine months and interviewed on the basis of the questionnaires. Since the study is devoted to various aspects of autonomous learning, only the data concerning an autonomous language learner is presented in this paper.

The Learner's Side of Foreign Language Learning: Predicting Language Learning Strategies from Language Learning Styles among Iranian Medical Students

The purpose of the study is to examine whether certain language learning styles are predictive of certain language learning strategies among Iranian EFL medical students. Unlike many studies which have investigated isolated dimensions of learning styles, this study applies a broadly focused learning styles indices as predictors of achievement in the use of language learning strategies. The study presents two kinds of data: quantitative and qualitative. In the quantitative study, the participants consist of 265 EFL second-year undergraduates. Two self-reported inventories, the Persian version of Learning Style Questionnaire (E&L LSQ) (Ehrman & Leaver, 2002), and the Persian version of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) (Oxford, 1990) were used. Semi-structured interviews have been performed among 34 high and low achievers in the qualitative aspect of the study. The analyses indicate that the synoptic language learning style significantly predicts more language learning strategies than ectenic style, thus turning out to be the more influential language learning style variable affecting learners' language learning strategy choices. Unlike low achievers, high achievers are synoptic driven in style, and capable of exercising more frequent and sophisticated strategies in general and compensation strategies in particular. The pedagogical implications of the study are discussed.

Implications of Parents’ Socio-Economic Status in the Choice of English Language Learning Strategies among Nigeria’s Secondary School Students

Studies have indicated that, less affluent families are less likely to have the financial and or time availability to provide their children with academic support compared to affluent families.This study investigated the relationship between Language Learning Strategies used by secondary school students in Nigeria and their Parents Socio-economic Status. The data for this research was provided by 559 respondents who study English as a second language and belonging to three varied socio-economic affiliations. A modified Oxford Study Inventory of Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire was used as the measurement instrument. Analysis of the data was done using SPSS version 16.0. This was done to assess the strategies employed and to understand their mean frequencies. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to determine the relationship between language learning strategy choice and socio-economic status of student’s parents. The study found that, respondents highly used Language Learning Strategy (LLS) while learning English and within closely related frequency level. The study found significant relationship between socio-economic statuses of parents of the learner in the choice of Cognitive, Metacognitive, Social, situational and religious Strategies and no significance in the learner choice of Memory and compensation strategies to learn English. Conclusively, the findings of the study has pedagogical implications for English Language teachers and curriculum designers that could assist in understanding the English language learning patterns of secondary school students in Nigeria.

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Language Learning Strategy Use

This study was conducted to determine the influence of emotional intelligence on the choice of learning strategies. To this end, 100 Iranian EFL students with the average age of 24.4 (30 male and 70 female) were asked to fill out the Persian versions of Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) (Bar-On, 1997a) and SILL (Oxford, 1900) questionnaires. The descriptive findings of the study revealed that metacognitive strategy was the most frequently used strategy among Iranian EEL learners, whereas the least preferred strategy was affective strategy. It was found that emotional intelligence is significantly correlated at the (<0.001) level with language learning strategies. Meanwhile, emotionally more intelligent students use more strategies than the emotionally less intelligent students. Also significant differences were found among two groups in the choice of strategies. In the end, conclusions and pedagogical implications were discussed.

A Comparison of Iranian EAP Students and EFL Majors on the Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

The present study set out to investigate vocabulary learning strategies adopted by 173 undergraduate students (89 EAP students and 84 EFL majors studying at Bu-Ali Sina University-Hamedan, Iran). The data collection instrument adopted was a validated Likert-scale structured questionnaire. The results of independent samples t-tests indicated that, overall, the two groups were not significantly different in the choice and use of vocabulary learning strategies. However, running Chi square analyses, significant differences were found in individual strategy use in 7 out of 45 strategies. The implications of the study are discussed in detail in the paper.