Language Learning Strategies and Second Language Acquisition.docx

Language Learning Strategies and Second Language Acquisition.docx

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LanguageLearningStrategiesandSecondLanguageAcquisition

LanguageLearningStrategiesandSecondLanguageAcquisition

Abstract:

Therehasbeenaprominentshiftwithinthefieldoflanguagelearningandteachingoverthelasttwentyyearswithgreatemphasisbeingputonlearnersandlearningratherthanonteachersandteaching.InParalleltothisnewshiftofinterest,howlearnersprocessnewinformationandwhatkindsofstrategiestheyemploytounderstand,learnorremembertheinformationhasbeentheprimaryconcernoftheresearchersdealingwiththeareaofforeignlanguageleaming.（MuratHismanoglu,2000）Thispaperprovidesthebackgroundoflanguagelearningstrategies,andgivesclassificationanddefinitionsofdifferentlearningstrategies,aimingtofindtheproperstrategiesfordifferentaspectsoflearning.Italsostressestheimportanceoflanguagelearningstrategiesforforeignlanguagelearningandtheteacher’sroleinstrategytraining.

Keywords:

learningstrategies,strategytraining

Introduction

FromGrammarTranslation,DirectMethod,andtheAudiolingualMethodtoCommunicativeTeachingApproach,TotalPhysicalResponseMethos,theSilenceMethod,andSuggestopediaMethod,thenewmethodsofteachingturnuponeafteranotherinordertoimprovetheefficiencyofteaching.Thelearningresult,however,isnotgreatlyenhancedbytheuseoftheseteachingmethodsinthesecondlanguageclassroom.Teachersandresearcherscametorealizethatteachingisabilateralactivitiesincludingteachers’teachingandstudents’learning.（TIANJinping,2006）Itiscertainlyunsuccessfulifyouonlyemphasizeonteachingbutnotlearning.Astheknowledgeofsecondlanguageacquisitionincreasedmarkedlyduringthe1970s,thefocusoftheresearchesshiftedfromexaminingtheteachingmethodtoinvestigatingtheprocessesoflearning.Mostoftheresearcherwerepromptedbyoneintriguingquestion:

whydoindividualachievedifferentoutputwheneverythingelse,includingteachers,teachingmethodandteachingmaterials,remainsthesame?

Andwhatattributestothesedifferences?

Therefore,thecognitiveandsocioculturalfactorsofthelearnerwerestudiedextensively.Itwasagainstthisbackgroundthattheissueoflearningstrategyinsecondlanguagelearningisbroughtintofocus.Uptonow,ithasbeenwidelyacknowledgedthatlanguage-learningstrategiesexistandinfluencetwoaspectsofsecondlanguagelearning:

“therateofacquisitionandtheultimatelevelofachievement”.（Ellis,1994）

1Thebackgroundanddefinitionoflanguagelearningstrategies

ThewordstrategyoriginatesfromtheancientGreektermstrategia,meaninggeneralshiportheartofwaranditinvolvestheoptimalmanagementoftroops,ships,oraircraftinaplannedcampaign.Laterthespecificimplicationofthetermistomeanaplan,steporactiontowardachievementofanobject.（YUBo,2001）

Whenthestrategyconceptisintroducesineducation,ithastakenonanewmeaningandhasbeenfurthertransformedintolearningstrategies.

Beforedefininglanguagelearningstrategies,weshouldcharacterizeitfirst.Althoughthereisconsiderabledebateastoappropriatewaysofdefininglanguagelearningstrategies,therearenumberofbasiccharacteristicsinthegenerallyacceptedviewoflanguagelearningstrategies.First,languagelearningstrategiesarelearnergenerated.Inotherwords,theyarestepstakenbylanguagelearners.Second,languagelearningstrategiesenhancelanguagelearningandhelpdeveloplanguagecompetence,asreflectedinthelearner’sskillinlistening,speaking,reading,orwriting.

Thelanguagelearningstrategyliteratureindicatesthatanumberoffurtheraspectsoflanguagelearningstrategiesarelessuniformlyaccepted.Whendiscussinglanguagelearningstrategies,Oxford（1990）andotherssuchasWendenandRubin（1987）notadesireforcontrolandautonomyoflearningonthepartofthelearnerthroughlanguagelearningstrategies.Cohen（1990）insistedthatonlyconsciousstrategiesarelanguagelearningstrategies,andthattheremustbeachoiceinvolvedonthepartofthelearner.Inadditiontothecharacteristicsnotedabove,Oxford（1990）summarizesherviewoflanguagelearningstrategiesbyotherkeyfeatures:

·Theyallowlearnerstobecomemoreself-directed.

·Theyexpandtheroleoflanguageteachers.

·Theyareproblem-oriented.

·Theyinvolvemanyaspects,notjustthecognitive.

·Theycanbetaught.

·theyareflexible.

·Theyareinfluencedbyavariety.

Thetermlanguagelearningstrategyhasbeendefinedbymanyresearchers.WendenandRubindefinedlearningstrategiesas“...anysetsofoperations,steps,plans,routinesusedbythelearnertofacilitatetheobtaining,storage,retrieval,anduseofinformation.”RichardsandPlattstatethatlearningstrategiesare“intentionalbehaviorandthoughtsusedbylearnersduringlearningsoastobetterhelpthemunderstand,learn,orremembernewinformation.”FaerchClausandCasperstressthatalearningstrategyis“anattempttodeveloplinguisticandsociolinguisticcompetenceinthetargetlanguage.”AccordingtoStern,”theconceptoflearningstrategyisdependentontheassumptionthatlearnersconsciouslyengageinactivitiestoachievecertaingoalsandlearningstrategiescanberegardedasbroadlyconceivedintentionaldirectionsandlearningtechniques.”Alllanguagelearnersuselanguagelearningstrategieseitherconsciouslyorunconsciouslywhenprocessingnewinformationandperformingtasksinthelanguageclassroom.Sincelanguageclassroomislikeaproblem-solvingenvironmentinwhichlanguagelearnersarelikelytofacenewinputanddifficulttasksgivenbytheirinstructors,learners’attemptstofindthequickestoreasiestwaytodowhatisrequired,thatis,usinglanguagelearningstrategiesisinescapable.

2Theclassificationoflanguagelearningstrategies

Differentscholarslaytheirownstressondefininglearningstrategies,therefore,thereisadiversityofclassificationsoflearningstrategies.Cohendividesthelearningstrategiesintotwogroups,oneislanguagelearningstrategiesandtheotherislanguageusingstrategies.Theformerincludesstrategiesforidentifyingthematerialthatneedstobelearned,distinguishingitfromothermaterial,groupingitforeasierlearningmemorizingitwhennaturalacquisitionisimpossibleandsoon.Thelatter,morespecially,includesfoursubsetsofstrategies:

retrievalstrategies,rehearsalstrategies,coverstrategiesandcommunicationstrategies.（ZHUXiaohua,2004）

Rubinprefertouseterm“learnerstrategies”tomeanlearningstrategies.Sherecognizesthreemajortypesoflearnerstrategiesbasedtoreception-productionmodel.Learningstrategiesrefertothestrategiesthatmaydirectlyaffectlearning,whichcanbefurtherdividedinto“cognitivestrategies”.Communicationstrategiesareconcernedwithlanguageproduction,enablinglearnerstokeepthecommunicationgoingdespitetheirlimitationsinknowledgeandcompetence.Socialstrategiesconcernaboutthewaysinwhichlearnersselectinteractwithotherlearnersandnativespeakers.

Basedontheinformation-processingmodel,O’MalleyandChamotrecognizethreemajortypesofstrategy.Theyaremetacognitivestrategies,cognitivestrategiesandsocial-affectivestrategies.

Oxford,emphasizingontheeffectthatlearningstrategieshaveonlearningprocess,grouplearningstrategiesintotwomajorcategories:

directstrategiesandindirectstrategies.Languagelearningstrategiesthatdirectlyinvolvethetargetlanguagearecalleddirectstrategies,andthestrategiesthatprovideindirectsupportforlanguagelearningthroughfocusing,planning,evaluating,controllinganxiety,increasingcooperationandothermeansarecalledindirectstrategies.

2.1Oxford’sdirectstrategies

Whataredirectstrategies?

AccordingtoOxford,”Languagelearningstrategiesthatdirectlyinvolvethetargetlanguagearecalleddirectstrategies”.Asseeninthediagram.OxforddefinesMemorystrategies,Cognitivestrategies,andCompensationstrategiesasdirectstrategies.

“Memorystrategies,suchasgroupingorusingimagery,haveahighlyspecificfunction:

helpingstudentsstoreandretrievenewinformation.Cognitivestrategies,suchassummarizingorreasoningdeductively,enablelearnerstounderstandandproducenewlanguagebymanydifferentmeans.Compensationstrategies,likeguessingorusingsynonyms,allowlearnerstousethelanguagedespitetheiroftenlargegapsinknowledge”.Basedonhercategory,IwouldnowliketoconsiderhowlearnerstousethesestrategiesinEFLinChinaandhowIcanteachthesestrategies.

Memorystrategies

MemorystrategiesaswellasCognitivestrategiesareveryimportantforvocabularybuilding.However,theinstructionforvocabularybuildinghasheavilyreliedonrotememorizationforalongtime.Asawayofcreatingmentallinkages,groupingorassociatingwillincreasestudents’vocabulary;semanticmappingorusingimaginarywilltightentheirmemory;andusingphysicalresponseswillallowthemtomemorizewordslikepartsofabody.Througheffectivestrategyteaching,studentswillacquirenotonlyvocabularybutalsothewayforstudying.Inthesenseswhenstudentsmemorizingwords.Accordingtotheresultsofthetest,IwouldrecommendthatEnglishteachershelplearnerstoutilizethefivesenseswhentheyteachEnglishandstudentsshouldtakenotesforvocabularybygrouping,associatingorsemanticmapping.

Cognitivestrategies

Cognitivestrategiesareveryimportantstrategiestoimprovestudents’ability.,specially,thesestrategiesarecrucialforacademicskills.Asexamplesofpracticing,Oxfordlistsrepeating,formallypracticingwithsoundsandwritingsystem,recognizingandusingformu