English Learning Behavior Research Articles

A Study of the Role of Strategy in Foreign Language Learning

The study aimed to investigate the role of strategy in foreign language learning, including students’ English learning behaviors, factors affecting students’ language learning strategy use, strategies that good and poor language learners used, and to compare with that of learners of FL, ESL, and EFL. Two hundred and twenty-four Taiwanese college students served as subjects of the study. The research design was a descriptive study and the research instrument was a questionnaire of motivation, belief, strategy, and anxiety. All available data were computed by using SPSS. Findings revealed that strategy use was the best predictor of successful language learning and motivational intensity played the most significant role in influencing strategy use. In addition, good language learners used more strategies and differences of strategy use existed among learners of FL, ESL, and EFL. It’s hoped to raise general awareness of language learning strategies and to bear in mind the individual difference of learners for effective teaching and learning.

An Investigation of Taiwanese Nursing Students’ English Learning Behaviors and Environmental Factors Related to English Learning before and after Their Internship Experiences—A Case Study

The study aimed to investigate Taiwanese nursing students’ English learning behaviors and environmental factors relevant to English learning before and after their internships. More than five hundred nursing students from five junior colleges in southern Taiwan served as subjects of the study. The research instrument included a 134-item questionnaire dealing with students’ personal demographic information and English learning behaviors of motivation, strategy, and anxiety. In addition, environmental factors relevant to English learning of English as the Medium of Instruction (EMI) and Internationalization at Home (IaH), as well as nursing English for practicum use were discussed. Findings revealed that some correlations among students’ English learning behaviors, environmental factors, and English levels did exist before and after their internships. Moreover, students’ internship experiences of English use also brought about some changes in their learning behaviors led to English levels. Some implications and suggestions were provided for schools and students hoping to equip students with good English skills before getting into the job market.

A multiple case study on the effects of temperamental traits in Chinese preschoolers learning English

Aims: The current study tests Clarke’s (1999) findings on phases and variations of the English development of young second-language learners in a Chinese English as a Foreign Language setting and explores the cause of these variations under the following questions: 1) What verbal and non-verbal behavior can be observed in Chinese preschoolers in an English-learning classroom? 2) What variation can be observed among the children in such a class? 3) To what extent can the observed variation be interpreted on the basis of the children’s temperament? Methodology: Four Chinese children have been followed longitudinally in China and their developmental pattern and variation were compared with what has been found in Clarke’s study. The variation has been related to children’s different temperamental scores. Data and Analysis: The four three-year-old English learners in China were videoed and audio-recorded in class for five months. Their class data were transcribed with CLAN software and analyzed with SPSS software. Their temperamental information was provided by the parents by filling in the New York Longitudinal Study questionnaire. The temperamental traits were analyzed with the software MentalList 2. Findings: During the initial five months, the four Chinese preschoolers’ English-learning behavior developed from non-verbal reactions, such as non-verbal repetitions to verbal reactions, such as English responses, generally being in line with the first two phases outlined by Clarke. Children varied significantly in terms of time of entry into the verbal phase, in the extent of interaction with teachers and peers and in learning style. Temperamental traits such as adaptability and mood were found to be related to differences in development. A higher level of adaptation, a higher level of activity, more initial reactions and a positive mood were found to be related with more verbal and non-verbal repetitions and responses. A lower level of activity and fewer initial reactions were shown to be related to a smaller amount of verbal and non-verbal production. Finally, a negative mood and a higher threshold of responsiveness seem to have led to the teacher misreading a child’s needs and thus hampered that child’s motivation and incidental learning. Originality: Temperamental traits have been introduced into child foreign language development and successfully shown to capture the difference of children’s learning behaviors. Implications: Data on temperamental characteristics might enable the teachers to get to know the young learners more quickly and better and thus support their teaching and facilitate their teaching handover.

Application of Access-Log Analysis and Social-Network Analysis to the Study of Foreign-Language Learning

This report presents a new quantitative research method of investigating the English-learning behavior of students in a Web-based learning environment. Studies of computer-assisted language learning and their transition from classroom- to Webbased practices testify to the wide use of Web-based technologies. However, to the best of the author’s knowledge, no accessible and practical methods have been identified that investigate the Web-based learning behavior of students. To address this need, this study performs and tests a new quantitative research method that combines access-log analysis and social-network analysis. To investigate the efficacy of the proposed research method, a Web-based learning environment was designed and integrated into in-class lessons. The in-class lessons were held once a week for a period of one and a half months, and 16 university students participated. Their accesslog data on the Web-based learning environment were collected and analyzed, which allowed their learning patterns to be identified. In addition, their use of the Web-based materials was visualized to aid in understanding the topology of the Web-based learning environment. The results are used to determine the efficacy of the proposed research method.