Studies on Language Learning Strategies

Nisbet, Tindall and Arroya (2005), conducted a study surveying the relationship between language learning strategy preferences and English proficiency among Chinese students. Results showed that meta-cognitive strategies were significantly correlated with students’ English proficiency levels. In addition, it was found that variations in learning strategy scores and proficiency did not appear to be influenced by gender.

Furthermore, participants were found to use strategies at a medium to high level. Also, findings revealed minimal correlation between learning strategies and proficiency.

Khalil (2005) assessed the LLSs used by Palestinian students and he explored whether proficiency level and gender affected participants’ strategy use or not. Results showed that Palestinian EFL learners reported that they used LLSs at medium level.

Also, gender and proficiency level had a statistically significant effect on frequency of overall strategy use.

Deneme (2008) examined Turkish students’ use of LLSs while they were learning English. Study found that all of the participants applied all the strategies at various levels. In other words, study showed that participants reported high use of

memory, compensation and meta-cognitive strategies and medium use of cognitive, affective and social strategies. In addition to these, study found that LLSs were used not only to make up for missing knowledge but also to plan and assess their learning more frequently by administering their emotions and learning with others.

Moreover, Nacera (2010) conducted a study in order to describe what kinds of LLSs that English department students used while learning English and relation to their vocabulary sizes. Study found that students used both direct and indirect LLSs and metacognitive strategies were found to be the most preferred strategies of six categories.

In addition, considerable difference was found between students’ with higher vocabulary size LLS preferences and students’ having lower vocabulary size. In the study, students having wider vocabulary size selected LLSs which require time causing efficacious learning while students having lower vocabulary size preferred surface strategies leading to less effective learning such as rote memory or gesture strategies.

Besides, Wong and Nunan (2011) investigated a study with 110 university students labelled as effective and ineffective language learners as a result of examination administered at the end of secondary school. Researchers explored difference between overall learning styles and strategies of more effective and less effective learners. Study identified statistically significant difference between less and more effective learners’ style preferences showing that less effective learners had authority oriented learning styles while more effective learners preferred communicative learning styles. Also, strategy preferences of more effective students were found to be statistically different than less effective ones’. In other words, more effective learners preferred strategy items reflecting their communicative orientation in contrast to less effective learners having authority oriented language learning strategy choices.

Considering that focus foreign language learning has shifted from teaching to learning Chen and Hung (2012) concentrated on learners’ individual differences and conducted a study with 364 high school students aiming at finding out the influence of students’ personality types on their style preferences and strategies for language learning. Results of the study pointed out that there was no statistically significant relationship between students’ style preferences and personality types of the four categories: extroversion / introversion, sensing / intuitive, thinking / feeling and judging / perceiving. In terms of relationship between personality types and LLS use, it was found that participants of introverted / extroverted and sensing / intuitive personality

type used compensation strategies more frequently than they used any of other strategies while participants having judging / perceiving personality type showed metacognitive, cognitive and social strategies. Also, study found no statistically significant relationship between the all categories of LLSs and thinking / feeling personality types.

In addition to these, Fazeli (2012) carried out a research to explore the LLSs of 213 Iranian female students at tertiary level and their relation to students’ extraversion trait. Results revealed that each of five categories was used at medium level while metacognitive strategy category was used at high level. According to Fazeli (2012) means of the conscientiousness trait was higher than any other four traits and neuroticism traits mean score was found to be lowest of all the traits. Also, results found out that there was statistically meaningful relationship between learners’ extroversion trait and only memory, meta-cognitive and social strategies.

Özmen and Güleroglu (2013) conducted a descriptive study so as to find out whether 210 students used direct or indirect language learning strategies and study aimed at presenting differences in LLSs considering their proficiency levels and genders. First of all, students were found to use each category of language learning strategies at medium level and at high level and memory strategies were mostly preferred by the students. They found that female students used strategies more frequently than male students and statistically difference in the use of LLS especially memory related strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies and affective strategies was found between genders. Additionally, study explored the difference in LLS use based on English proficiency variable. Considering students’

course grades, the most successful students used more learning strategies than poor learners. Statistically difference was found in almost all categories of LLSs between the most successful students and poor learners. Also, study figured out that social strategies were mostly preferred strategies by the most successful students.

Also, İzci and Sucu (2013) investigated primary school students’ LLS use and its relation to students’ gender, their school types and foreign language grades. They aimed at determining the LLS that students use in Nevşehir and level of their strategy use. As a result of the study, it was found that participants used LLSs at intermediate level and meta-cognitive strategies were found to be the most preferred LLSs while cognitive strategies were preferred the least. Also, considering the gender variable, female students statistically had higher level of strategy use than their male counterparts. Also,

students from private schools had higher level of strategy use while students from state schools had lower level of strategy use. Also, successful students used wider range of LLS than unsuccessful students.

Last but not least, Ismail and Khatib (2013) discovered the patterns of LLSs used by students at United Arab Emirates University and investigated relationship between gender, proficiency levels of the participants and use of LLS. Findings revealed that all the participants were medium strategy users with regard to the overall strategy use. When taken into consideration seperately, metacognitive strategies were found to be the most frequently used language learning strategies followed by social, compensation, affective, cognitive and memory strategies respectively. Also, it was found that there was no significant relationship between LLS patterns and language proficiency levels. Furthermore, no significant difference in the use of strategies between male and female students was found.

2.4. Studies on the Relationship between Beliefs about Language Learning and