Learning Strategies and Implications for Second Language Teaching.

EFFECTIVENESS OF STRATEGY INSTRUCTION

The last twenty years have seen growing interest in the notion of learner autonomy, which underpins the research on the effectiveness of language learning strategy instruction. Researchers have experimented with selected learning strategies to improve learners' language learning performance. 

Cohen & Aphek (1980) trained learners of Hebrew how to recall new words by using 'paired associations' and found that the learners who formed associations performed better in the subsequent recall tasks than when associations were not formed. In an investigation by Weinstein (1978) ninth grade students were trained in how to use a variety of elaboration strategies and apply them to reading comprehension and memory tasks. The positive results showed students trained in elaboration strategies significantly outperformed the students who received no training. In a training project to develop self-evaluation and monitoring strategies, 

Wenden (1987) reported that providing students with a checklist of criteria to self-evaluate their oral production resulted in successful use of self- evaluation as a learning strategy. More recently, Graham (1997) indicated that second language teachers can help students understand good language learning strategies and should train them to develop and use them. Nation (2001, p. 313) listed the studies of keyword strategies experimented with a wide range of languages. The results of the cited studies generally show that the keyword strategy training leads to faster and more secure vocabulary learning.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING

As illustrated by the explanatory tetrahedral model of Gu (2003), the relationships between person, task, context and strategies are intertwined. The concept of learning strategies is an extremely fluid one, involving noticing and selectively attending to a problem, analyzing the self, the task and the situation, making decisions and plans, executing plans, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of the whole process. Furthermore, conceptions of learning have been found to differ from culture to culture.

Hence, strategy instruction can be very challenging, though very rewarding. Strategy instruction has to be linked to the students' needs and strategy should not be forced on anyone. Every student has their preferred way of studying and their preferred strategies. What works for one student in one task or one context may not work in another. Based on the tetrahedral model of Gu (2003) and the ideas of Salvisberg (2005), the following pedagogical implications can be drawn:

Learning Strategy Instructions Should be Individualized

Learning strategies are idiographic and the choice, use, and effectiveness of learning strategies differ from person to person. Second language learners should be helped to understand what language learning strategies are available to them, and what specific language learning strategies they might use in order to improve their specific language skills; strategies should be chosen which mesh with each other to fit the requirements of learners' goals and their style of learning; strategy training should be somewhat individualized for personal preferences. Individual affective issues, all of which influence strategy choice, should be taken into account and be directly addressed during strategy instruction.

Learning Strategy Instructions Should Be Context -Specific

Even the same strategy may be executed in different ways in different educational traditions. On one hand, language teachers should learn and understand their students' language, culture and hence learning strategies. On the other, second language learning strategy training should be based on students' context-specific attitudes, beliefs, interests and stated needs.