Undergraduate Science Students Research Articles

Ethics and Research-Focus Politics in Higher Education

There has been growing concern for ethical conduct in higher education due to several reasons. Massification in higher education, quantitative-oriented output measures, and the pressure on academics to publish are commonly indicated as the core reasons behind ethical violations. In addition to these reasons lack of instructive measures and limited research to inform these instructive measures can be counted as factors contributing to the rise of ethical violations in the academy. Like the case of lower levels of education, higher education is also a value-driven field of conduct. Although recent scholarly concerns focus on ethical conduct in research and publication ethics, teaching in higher education demands equal attention. Research on ethics in various conducts of higher education institutions including teaching, research, and publication processes is important to guide the students, academics, and institutions for ethical conduct. In this issue of HEGP, the first article titled “Plagiarism Awareness and Practices Engagement: Evidence from Adeleke University Basic Medical Sciences Undergraduate Students” by Makinde, Olatunji, Ogunniran and Makinde investigated the relationship between plagiarism awareness level and plagiarism practices engagement level by medical sciences undergraduate students. In their investigations, the authors documented the reasons behind plagiarism as well. The study documented several possible reasons behind plagiarism in medical education. The time pressure to return the assignments and problems in accessing information are the key factors causing plagiarism in medical education, according to the study. These results suggest a similar logic with ethical violations in research and publication ethics. Interestingly the study suggested that the students are knowledgeable about the types of plagiarism. The second article of this issue, titled “Establishment Policies of Research Universities: A Critical Analysis of Global and Turkish Perspectives” by Ozsoy and Balyer investigated the research university initiative in Turkey based on a critical literature review and document analysis. The analysis focused on the values and practices underlining the research university initiative in Turkey. The study documented the need to clarify the research university mission and deploy the necessary resources to give momentum to the research university initiative. We expect that the articles on this issue will contribute to higher education research and practice.

Plagiarism Awareness and Practices Engagement: Evidence from Adeleke University Basic Medical Sciences Undergraduate Students

Plagiarism is of great concern in diverse fields of human endeavour, including the basic medical sciences, especially with many trained undergraduates [after degree completion] venturing into academics where they need to publish. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between plagiarism awareness level and plagiarism practices engagement level by basic medical sciences undergraduates while also knowing plagiarism types and reasons for plagiarism. The study covered all the basic medical sciences undergraduates of a foremost private institution in South-West Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire. Purposive sampling was applied to the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, with all five academic departments investigated. Then, the total enumeration technique was employed because the target group was manageable and had well-defined characteristics. In all, 296 usable copies of the questionnaire were found worthy of being analysed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation scores were employed. Inferential statistics - Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was also adopted. The study’s result showed that the students know about all the listed plagiarism types and they mostly cited the pressure to turn in written assignments/works, followed by timely access to information to meet deadlines and then the deadline to turn in group work as reasons for plagiarism. Further, there was a significant relationship and positive correlation between the plagiarism awareness level and plagiarism practices engagement level of the students.

Factors Affecting Time Management Ability among Medical Sciences Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Time management (TM) is a crucial academic ability, especially as schools transition from conventional to virtual instruction delivery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of the study was to identify the variables affecting medical science undergraduate students in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. This web-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021. Participants included medical students and students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in medical sciences. They were conveniently selected from medical universities across Iran. A demographic questionnaire and the Trueman and Hartley Time Management Questionnaire were used as study instruments. Telegram and WhatsApp were used for data collection and sampling. The SPSS program (version 22.0) and multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis were used to analyse the data. In total, 1,183 students completed the questionnaires in their entirety. The mean of their age was 22.08±3.15 years and the majority of them were female (62.04%). The mean TM score was 45.19±8.3 (with a range of 14–70), and gender, grade point average (GPA), daily study time, daily internet use time, work status, and kind of university were the significant predictors of TM ability (p < 0.05). Iranian students have a moderate level of TM skill, and their work status, GPA, daily study time, daily Internet usage, and type of university are the main predictors of their TM. The shift from traditional to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of equipping medical students with necessary TM skills.

Resilience of undergraduate health sciences students during COVID-19: An integrative review.

COVID-19 pandemic placed pressure on global health systems, healthcare providers and undergraduate students in health sciences. Students experienced change in the teaching and learning as well as the clinical context resulting in increased stress levels. Resilience assisted students to adapt and develop competencies and effective coping mechanisms. The purpose of this integrative review is to identify resilience of undergraduate students in health sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online platforms. An integrative review was conducted with keywords: resilience, undergraduate students, health sciences and COVID-19. Three different searches were conducted for the time frame 2020-2022 on the relevant electronic data bases with full text articles. A total of 1665 records were identified and 49 potentially relevant articles were identified. Screening resulted in 34 articles that were analysed using the John Hopkins critical appraisal criteria. Four themes were identified: attributes of students' resilience, aspects enhancing the development of resilience, aspects hindering the development of resilience and recommendations to cultivate resilience. Resilience is key to withstand the challenges in the global health system. The development of resilience in undergraduate health sciences students should be prioritised to ensure cognitive adaptability, effective coping skills and sufficient support. These findings can assist higher educational institutions to improve their undergraduate health science programs to cultivate resilient health care professionals.

CONDUCTING COMMUNITY-BASED GERONTOLOGY PROJECTS IN UNDERGRADUATE CLASSROOMS: CAPSTONE CASE STUDIES

Abstract Collaborations between university-level students and community-based organizations have long shown to be mutually beneficial in that they can address pressing community needs, advance the mission of the organization, and enhance the learning of students. In this presentation, I describe project collaborations between a non-profit volunteer caregiving organization based in Ventura County (“Caregivers”) and Health Science undergraduate students (N = 76) enrolled in Capstone courses at California State University Channel Islands between 2022-2023. Projects were designed utilizing a community-based approach wherein the community partner (“Caregivers”) played an active and central role in determining project goals and outcomes. Four projects, each addressing and/or serving a specific need, were completed by different Capstone sections: (1) the creation of an online governance training program to educate high school and university students on the basics of leadership in nonprofits which serve older adults; (2) the creation of a series of videos to educate on and advocate for volunteer caregiving; (3) the analysis of quantitative and qualitative survey data to evaluate the experiences and satisfaction levels of local volunteer caregivers and care recipients; and (4) the creation of a toolkit to be used by volunteer caregiving organizations implementing community meal delivery programs for older adults. In this presentation, I detail each project along with their major successes and challenges as assessed through personal observation, feedback provided by the community partner, and student reflections. I conclude with discussing best practices in implementing community-based projects in undergraduate settings and describe the value of such projects across all stakeholders.

Perspectives of Library and Information Science Undergraduate Students on Library User Education and Use of the Library at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

In the study, we examined perspectives of Library and Information Science undergraduate students on library user education and the use of the Donald E.U. Ekong Library at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria. Five specific objectives with corresponding research questions guided the study and one hypothesis was formulated. In the study, we adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study consisted of 194 students in the Department of Library and Information Science. A sample size of 131 respondents was selected using a simple random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a self-developed structured questionnaire titled “Library Information Science Undergraduate Students’ Library User Education and Use of Library” and was distributed among the students. The 131 (100%) questionnaires were returned in good shape and analysed using frequency, percentages and mean. The hypothesis was tested using Pearson’s product moment correlation at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that library orientation, the lecture method and the library tour were the methods used in teaching user education at the Donald E.U. Ekong library, while the online course was poor. We concluded that user education has a positive influence on these undergraduate students’ library use. Our recommendations included that a conducive environment for, creating awareness on and advocacy of user education and the use of the library be adopted as ways to improve the library user education at the Donald E.U. Ekong Library.

Mentoring across difference and distance: building effective virtual research opportunities for underrepresented minority undergraduate students in biological sciences.

Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) are established to provide platforms for interest in scientific research and as tools for eventual matriculation to scientific graduate programs. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of in-person programs for 2020 and 2021, creating the need for alternative programming. The National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP) was created to provide a virtual option to REUs in microbiology to compensate for the pandemic-initiated loss of research opportunities. Although in-person REUs have since been restored, NSURP currently remains an option for those unable to travel to in-person programs in the first place due to familial, community, and/or monetary obligations. This study examines the effects of the program's first 3 years, documenting the students' experiences, and suggests future directions and areas of study related to the impact of virtual research experiences on expanding and diversifying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Depression and Anxiety among Undergraduate Health Science Students: A Scoping Review of the Literature.

Background: Health science students in post-secondary institutions experience high levels of depression and anxiety due to increased stress levels, workload, low socioeconomic status, and history of family mental illness, among other factors. Given the significant negative impact that depression and anxiety can have on undergraduate health science students, it is essential to understand the prevalence and correlation of these conditions in this population. In light of this, this scoping review aims to identify, document, and analyze the literature on the prevalence and determinants of anxiety and depression among undergraduate health sciences students and identify gaps in knowledge for future research. Methods: This scoping review was planned and executed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for the Scoping Reviews statement. A comprehensive and systematic search was carried out for five databases, namely MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PubMed. Results: From the literature identified by our search strategy, the lowest prevalence for anxiety was 5.8%, and the highest was 82.6%, with a median of 44.25%. The prevalence of depression ranged from a high of 88.8% to a low of 2.1%, with a median value of 34.8%. Our analysis revealed that correlates of anxiety and depression among health science students include sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, gender, relationships, ethnicity, and family history, personal health conditions, and academic and socioeconomic issues. Conclusions: With the high incidence of anxiety and depression among health science students, there is an increasing need to find practical remedies to support these students. It is also essential for policymakers and university authorities to implement interventions such as supportive text messages and other strategies geared toward providing support and improving the psychological well-being of health science students.

Eficácia dos selantes dentários na prevenção da cárie infantil nos diferentes níveis sócioeconômicos

Sealants for pits, fissures, and occlusal surfaces are an effective preventive measure against occlusal caries in children, especially those from low-income backgrounds who have the highest DMFT index (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth). The objective of this study is to demonstrate, through a literature review, the importance of sealant application for a better prognosis and lower incidence of occlusal caries in children. The methodology employed involves searching for articles from the past 10 years (2013-2023) on the LILACS platform, using keywords such as "sealant and caries prevention," "childhood caries and low income," and "childhood caries and social inequality." Additionally, national studies such as SB Brazil 2003 and SB Brazil 2010 were included. As a result, it is evident that the implementation of preventive sealants in childhood has proven to be an effective and non-invasive method for preventing childhood caries by forming a physical barrier between the vulnerable occlusal surface and the oral environment

Co‐created in vivo pharmacology practical classes using the novel organism Lumbriculus variegatus

AbstractCo‐creation within higher education emphasizes learner empowerment to promote collaboration between the students and staff, enabling students to become active participants in their learning process and the construction of resources with academic staff. Concurrently, a diminishing number of higher education institutions offer in vivo practical classes, resulting in an in vivo skills shortage. To address this, and to actively engage students in their own learning, we describe the co‐creation of a student‐led drug trial using Lumbriculus variegatus. Under blinded conditions, final‐year undergraduate biomedical science students, under the tutelage of academic staff and fellow students, were involved in the co‐creation of an in vivo practical class to determine the effects of histamine and histamine receptor inverse agonists mepyramine and loratadine. Throughout this process, undergraduate‐ and masters‐level students played key roles in every aspect of practical delivery and data analysis. Herein, students demonstrated the test compounds, both in isolation and in combination, resulted in reduced stereotypical movements of L. variegatus (p < .05, n ≥ 6). 15% of students in the class responded to a feedback survey (n = 8) after the class. Students reported the class provided “real life” insights into in vivo research and enabled the development of hands‐on skills which would be useful in applying in their future careers. All students reported that they enjoyed the class with 25% (n = 2) reporting concerns about animal use in research, enabling useful discussions about animals in research. Moreover, these student‐led in vivo trials add to the pharmacological knowledge of L. variegatus promoting education‐led research.

Exploring Black Undergraduate Students' Communication and Biology Education Experiences about COVID-19 and COVID-19 Vaccines During the Pandemic.

Effective communication about science is a core skill undergraduates should learn, but little research has explored how students communicate about culturally controversial science topics. In this study, we explored how Black undergraduate science students took on the role of science communicators in their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We interviewed 23 Black students about their experiences learning about COVID-19 vaccines and communicating about COVID-19 vaccines to their communities. We found that students' racial/ethnic and science backgrounds made them feel a responsibility to be effective communicators about COVID-19 vaccines as potential trusted messengers within their communities. However, students were using limited strategies when communicating and were unsure how to communicate about COVID-19 topics effectively to those who were vaccine-hesitant or doubted the severity of the pandemic. Finally, students described ways that their biology instructors could have helped them be more confident when communicating about COVID-19 vaccines with their communities. Findings suggest that biology instructors could teach science communication principles in addition to content knowledge about culturally controversial science topics in their undergraduate classes to build on students' developing science communication skills.

USING A MIDTERM WARNING SYSTEM TO IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND ENGAGEMENT IN AN INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

This article reports on an evaluation the effectiveness of e-mailed grade “nudges” on students’ performance and engagement in an introductory statistics course for undergraduate health science students. In 2020–2021, 358 students were randomized to an e-mail (n = 178) or no e-mail (n = 180) group. The intervention e-mail contained information on each student’s predicted final grade (grade nudge). Using two-sample t-tests, the statistical analysis of final grades in the course showed a higher compatibility with a model of no mean difference for students in the e-mail (73.5%) vs. no e-mail (72.1%) group. Comparison of the distributions of final grades between the two groups, however, suggested the e-mailed nudges may be related to slight improvements in final grades. Specifically, the median final grade was higher in the e-mail group (74.6 vs. 72.4); the Q1 value in the e-mail group was also higher, and the interquartile range was similar: no e-mail group (15.8) vs. e-mail group (14.2). Students also completed the Scale of Student Engagement in Statistics (SSE-S). Total engagement, affective and cognitive subscale scores of the SSE-S were higher in the e-mail group, resulting in low compatibility with a model of no difference in engagement scores. Overall, the results showed there is potential for our midterm warning system to be used to improve outcomes, particularly given that it is simple to implement, cost-effective, and easily scalable.

Utilization Of Information Communication Technology By Library And Information Science Undergraduate Students In University Of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the utilization of Information Communication Technology by library and information science undergraduate students in University of Calabar, Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, three research questions were generated to direct the study. Literature review was done according to the variables under study. Survey research design was used for the study. A sample of two hundred and forty-six (246) undergraduate students were selected for the study using accidental sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection was titled: “Utilization of Information Communication Technology Questionnaire (UICTQ)”. The reliability of the instrument was established through test retest method. Sample percentage was the statistical analysis techniques adopted to test the research questions under study. The results of the analysis revealed that consistencies in ICT, reasons for using ICT and availability of infrastructure significantly influence utilization of ICT by undergraduate students of LIS. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended among others that government in conjunction with the school administrators should run a free and compulsory ICT services in order to provide practical and functional knowledge to students in tertiary institutions.
 
 

Empathy or Apathy? How Capital Constraints Mediate the Efficacy of Experiential Poverty Simulations in the Classroom

Background: University teachers in various fields have turned to the experiential tool of poverty simulations to help prepare students to work effectively and ethically with people living in poverty. Their efficacy is reportedly mixed. While several studies claim positive results on student knowledge, skills, and attitudes, others highlight risks of creating apathy and otherness. Purpose: This study explores why simulations run the risk of going wrong and what can be done to make them more effective. Methodology/Approach: To explore how student dispositions may have an important mediating effect, author 1 implemented a 6-week poverty simulation in her poverty course on five different cohorts of Liberal Arts and Science undergraduate students in the Netherlands. We study closely their experiences throughout the simulation through classroom observations and discussions, interviews, and questionnaires. Findings/Conclusions: We find that their heightened sense of agency and taken-for-granted economic, cultural, social, and human capital mediate their experience and learning. Implications: To be effective ethical learning tools, especially for students of privilege, poverty simulations should be designed so that students reflect on their privilege. This is best done when simulations are run in such a way that there is time to experience mistakes, and learn from peers/teachers.

Effect of Nutrition Education on Health Science University Students to Improve Cardiometabolic Profile and Inflammatory Status.

The inadequate lifestyle associated with university life may have a negative impact on various cardiometabolic factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a one-year nutrition education course on cardiometabolic parameters in undergraduate health science students. During the 2021-22 academic year, 1.30 h nutrition sessions were conducted twice a week. Capillary blood samples were collected and centrifuged to measure cardiometabolic and inflammatory biomarkers in serum. The sample studied consisted of 49 students: 20.4% male and 79.6% female. The nutritional intervention resulted in changes in dietary patterns, with increased consumption of vegetables, nuts and legumes. After the course, females showed an increase in HDL-cholesterol levels (p = 0.007) and no change in LDL-cholesterol levels (p = 0.189). On the other hand, males showed significant changes in HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.001) and LDL-cholesterol (p = 0.043) levels. The atherogenic index was also significantly reduced (p < 0.001) in both males (p = 0.009) and females (p = 0.002). Differences were also observed in the increase in vitamin D levels in both males and females, although the magnitude of the increase was greater in the men (Δ = 7.94, p = 0.016 in men vs. Δ = 4.96, p = 0.001 in women). The monocyte-to-HDL ratio (MHR) showed a significant reduction, although these differences were only significant in males. Students with low vitamin D levels had higher LDL-cholesterol values (p = 0.01) and atherogenic index (p = 0.029). Adjusted linear regression analysis showed a significant association between post-course vitamin D MHR (β = -0.42, IC: -0.29, -0.06, p < 0.01). These findings suggest the importance of including nutrition education programs during the university stage for the prevention of long-term health problems.

Security Measures in Meeting Information Needs and Seeking Behaviour of Agricultural Science Students in Nigerian Universities

Security measures play a significant role in the accessibility and use of agricultural information resources among undergraduate science students in Nigeria. This results in overcoming obstacles to valuable information required by agricultural students to cultivate their products that would replicate food substances in the Nigerian economy. Nonetheless, unauthorised individuals have pervaded access to information that is meant for agricultural science students due to a lack of security of such information. There are unlimited assets and products to which agricultural students have access; hence, this paper investigates security measures in meeting information needs and seeking behaviour of agricultural science students in Nigerian universities. The paper employed a qualitative research method based on the explanatory research method. In so doing, the use of a systematic literature review was adopted to examine the information needs and seeking behaviour of agricultural students in Nigeria and again to find out the security measures put in place to ensure valuable information and preventive approaches to unauthorised individuals are sustained. Using a purposive sampling technique, the authors collected articles published between 2015 and 2023 on databases of Emerald and ResearchGate for the review. Findings reveal that agricultural science students in Nigerian universities have a diverse range of preferred information sources. Findings further reveal that students engage in information-seeking behaviour for various purposes, such as course assignments, practical experiments, exam preparation, general reading, discussions, seminars, workshops, conferences, and research projects. Challenges in information-seeking behaviour include inadequate access to current information materials and uncooperative attitudes of librarians and lecturers. The study concludes that security measures are crucial in shaping how students access information. The study recommends that universities ensure a balance between print and electronic resources to cater to students’ varied preferences to accommodate comprehensive support for their research and studies in the university environment. This would enhance sustainable security measures and accessibility to varied information resources for the students.

A simple undergraduate laboratory exercise for teaching the role of sentinel-level clinical microbiology testing in biological threat identification.

Undergraduate students in the biomedical sciences are mostly unaware of how clinical microbiology laboratories handle suspected agents of bioterrorism or emerging infectious diseases. The Public Health Security Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 requires the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to maintain a list of microbes that pose serious biological threats to human health and safety, including Tier 1 agents with the potential for use in bioterrorism. The Laboratory Response Network (LRN), founded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Association of Public Health Laboratories, coordinates the response of sentinel, reference, and national laboratories to these biothreats. The sentinel laboratories, which comprise most hospital-based and commercial laboratories, are the first to encounter a suspicious agent. For this reason, the LRN has published a series of testing guidelines to assist the sentinel laboratories in deciding whether a microbial isolate should be considered potentially hazardous and thus sent to a reference or national laboratory for further characterization. Here, we describe a simple laboratory exercise that teaches sentinel-level testing requirements in the context of an applied setting of a potential outbreak of anthrax that would require a sentinel laboratory to recognize a potential threat, attempt to rule it out, and refer to a national laboratory for identification.

Examining students’ course trajectories using data mining and visualization approaches

The heterogeneous data acquired by educational institutes about students’ careers (e.g., performance scores, course preferences, attendance record, demographics, etc.) has been a source of investigation for Educational Data Mining (EDM) researchers for over two decades. EDM researchers have primarily focused on course-specific data analyses of students’ performances, and rare attempts are made at the domain level that may benefit the educational institutes at large to gauge and improve their institutional effectiveness. Our work aims to fill this gap by examining students’ transcripts data for identifying similar groups of students and patterns that might associate with these different cohorts of students based on: (a) difficulty level of a course category, (b) formation of course trajectories, and, (c) transitioning of students between different performance groups. We have exploited descriptive data mining and visualization methods to analyze transcript data of 1398 undergraduate Computer Science students of a private university in Pakistan. The dataset includes students’ transcript data of 124 courses from nine distinct course categories. In the end, we have discussed our findings in detail, challenges, and, future work directions.

An innovative assessment tool for evaluating narrative feedback quality among Medicine and Biomedical Sciences students.

To develop a reliable instrument to objectively assess feedback quality, to use it for assessment of the quality of students' narrative feedback and to be used as a self-assessment instrument for students in their learning process. In a retrospective cohort study, 635 feedback narratives, provided by small groups of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences undergraduate students, have been extracted from available quarterly curriculum evaluation surveys. A rubric was developed based on literature and contents of our feedback education. It consists of seven subitems and has a maximum score of 20 points (sufficient score: >10 points). Rubric reliability was evaluated using intra-class correlation. The rubric was tested by analysing the feedback narratives. To test progression, we compared rubric scores between study years with a Kruskal-Wallis analysis and Dunn's post-hoc testing with Bonferroni correction. The rubric has an intra-class correlation of 0.894. First year students had a mean rubric score of 11.5 points (SD 3.6), second year students 12.4 (SD 3.4) and third year students 13.1 (SD 3.6). Kruskal-Wallis testing showed significant differences in feedback quality between study years (χ2(2, N=635) = 17.53, p<0.001). Dunn's post-hoc test revealed significant differences between study years one and two (p=0.012) and one and three (p<0.001). The developed rubric is a reliable instrument to assess narrative feedback quality. Students were able to provide feedback of sufficient quality and quality improved across study years. The instrument will allow students to assess themselves and learn where there is still room for improvement.

LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES AND ENGLISH PROFICIENCY OF SHIVAJI UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

The present study aimed to investigate the use of language learning strategies (LLS) by undergraduate students, the degree of use of language learning strategy included in the Oxford Taxonomy, and the relationship between the use of language learning strategies and English language proficiency. One hundred and forty-eight arts, commerce, science undergraduate students studying at various colleges affiliated to Shivaji University were the participants of the study. The results indicated that these students used LLS moderately to less; meta-cognitive strategies, social strategies, cognitive strategies, and memory strategies moderately; and compensation strategies and affective strategies were used less. The same correlation was found between the use of language learning strategies and English proficiency, which was indicated by students’ grades in proficiency tests. Overall, the results demonstrate that the use of language learning strategies used by the selected students varies depending upon the proficiency level. It was observed that less proficient students used fewer strategies and proficient students used them more.