Exploring EFL Learners' Preferences, Perceived Needs, and Perceptions about Language Learning Strategies

Language is a socio-cultural phenomenon. A large number of language learning strategies arise from the interactions between individuals and their socio-cultural contexts. The aim of this article was to explore the relationship between EFL learners’ language learning strategies and their social and cultural capital. To this end, the Social and Cultural Capital Questionnaire (SCCQ) and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) were administered to a sample of 63 undergraduate students majoring in English language so that the researchers could examine the best predictors of language learning strategies in terms of five factors of the SCCQ, namely, social competence, social solidarity, literacy, cultural competence, and extraversion. Results from Pearson product-moment correlation showed highly significant correlations between all five factors of SCCQ and learners’ language learning strategies. Moreover, results from the regression analysis revealed that a combination of literacy, social solidarity, and extraversion was the best predictor of language learning strategies by explaining 50% of the variances in EFL learners’ language learning strategies scores. The implications of the study are discussed.

This study aimed to explore the applicability of VR-based language learning in an EFL context. An online survey was conducted to understand the structural relationship between EFL learners' cognitive absorption, behavioral intention to use VR for English learning, and perceptions regarding the sense of immersion created by VR. The hedonic motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) was adopted, and 230 valid responses were retrieved for statistical analyses. The results showed that most constructs of HMSAM, namely, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, curiosity, joy, control, behavioral intention to use, and immersion, were significantly associated with other constructs. VR's immersion had a positive significant influence on the behavioral intention of EFL learners to engage in VR-based language learning. It was revealed that curiosity was not a significant predictor for immersion. Moreover, a within-subject neurophysiological experiment was conducted with 33 EFL learners who experienced both VR-based and non-VR-based settings to examine the influence of VR technologies on their cognitive absorption and learning outcomes. Results demonstrated that VR did increase the participants' cognitive absorption; furthermore, participants had better retention about the learned contents in VR-based setting. The findings have practical and theoretical implications based on the findings of the survey and experiment.

Integration of computers into Foreign Language (fl) learning has become the allbut-inevitable direction for the future, given the (a) considerable benefits this affords for students of English as a Foreign Language (efl), (b) characteristics of today’s learners as Generation Z (González-Lloret & Ortega, 2014), and (c) widespread use of the internet in the twenty-first century. This situation has spurred a transformation of ComputerAssisted Language Learning (call) into Web-Facilitated Language Learning (wfll) as an alternative paradigm for efl teachers and learners. Furthermore, Task-Based Language Teaching (tblt) is likely to serve as a pedagogical framework in designing the web for the purpose of fl learning. The primary objectives of the present study were therefore to (a) develop a teacher-designed learning website, namely I Love Indonesia, and (b) gather information from high school learners of English in Indonesia with different attitudes towards call (positive/moderate/negative) in correlation with how they perceive wfll (agree/disagree) and perform web-based activities. Descriptive Statistics, if Function in Excel, Correlation Analysis, and Independent-samples T-test were employed in the study. Finally, the study findings demonstrate that (a) the majority of learners participating in the study have positive attitudes towards call, (b) all focused participants have positive perceptions of wfll and (c) learners with positive attitudes are likely to have more positive perceptions (to agree) than moderate and negative attitude learners (ones who disagree) on the use of the website for language learning. In addition, the website seems to benefit efl learners in some specific areas. Consideration should be given to working with 158 The jalt call Journal 2018: Regular Papers a greater number of learners over a longer period of time when conducting further studies on the effectiveness of the website for efl learners in order to be able to shed some light on the development of their language skills.

Learning strategies are considered capable of greatly helping learners improve their proficiency in English and assist them to be more independent. The purpose of the study is to investigate language learning strategies used by secondary school students in Indonesia related to their field of specialization and gender. One hundred and eighty-six eleventh grade students from one of senior high schools in Pekanbaru, Indonesia participated in the survey. This was conducted using the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) adopted from (Oxford, 1990) and the Strategy Questionnaire (SQ) adopted from Embi (2000). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and an independent sample t-test. The findings show that the most frequently used strategy is metacognitive and affective, followed by cognitive and compensation strategies. The least frequently used strategies are social and memory strategies. Besides, it was also found that there were significant differences in the use of strategies between natural and social science students, and there were no significant differences between the two groups of students based on their gender. The study implies that students are aware of language learning strategies, however students still need to be trained to be a successful language learner.

Data-driven learning (DDL) has traditionally been studied via standard corpus interfaces, such as COCA, Sketch Engine, IntelliText, and other similar corpus tools. In addition, DDL has traditionally been seen as part of the computer-assisted language learning (CALL) approach, primarily because access to corpora and corpus interfaces has historically been limited to desktop computers. However, with the emergence of several simplified and mobile-friendly web corpus interfaces and with mobile assisted language learning (MALL) gaining momentum in language education, along with its potential in DDL, mobile-assisted DDL has become an alternative learning technique. This paper reports on a study carried out with a group of undergraduate EFL students studying at International Balkan University (IBU). In this study, the participants were given linguistic tasks to complete using new web corpus interfaces as reference tools, namely, CorpusMate and Netspeak. The first corpus interface was exploited via the traditional CALL approach, whereas the latter was utilized with mobile technology. The results of the study revealed positive learner perceptions and experiences with the newly introduced tools, while they also displayed enthusiasm and motivation to engage in DDL within the context of MALL. The present study provides valuable insights into students’ perspectives and experiences with state-of-the-art corpus tools and mobile technology, which can help shape future paths for research in DDL and MALL.

This preliminary study is motivated by the role of pragmatic markers in both spoken and written communication, which reflects speaking fluency. It employs Beeching’s (2016) matched-guise methodology, utilizing online forms to engage participants from two different locations. The primary aim of this study is to investigate EFL learners’ preferences for using pragmatic markers in their utterances. To gather data, Google Forms were distributed to universities students in two different locations. A total of 39 participants completed the questionnaire, among them were 17 respondents from Central Java, 1 from Bali, 1 from West Java, and 20 from West Kalimantan. Notably, 21 participants identified English as their second language, while 18 reported it as their third language. Upon analysis, the data indicated that participants perceived utterances containing the pragmatic markers "well," "I mean," and "sort of" as embodying polite, direct, and friendly attitudes. While “like” tends to contribute to a sense of indirectness in communication, the utterances featuring "you know" and "just" had no significant impact on the directness of the statements. Future researchers should investigate the broader categories and contextual variations of these markers that were potentially overlooked in the current study.

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.

Communicative language use largely entails regular patterns consisting of pre-constructed phrases or sequences. These sequences have been examined by many researchers to find the situation-based formulas which may help L2 learners follow a possibly more target-like speaking system. This study, therefore, explored two categories of formulaic expressions including speech formulas and situation-bound utterances used by EFL learners. The randomly selective participants included 30 intermediate and 30 advanced learners, who performed a total number of 120 role-play tasks focused on the situations which required the use of thanking, requesting, offering, and apology speech acts. Audio-recorded data from role-plays were transcribed and analyzed based on existing lists of speech formulas. Results showed that the participants produced more than 102 types of formulaic sequences that could be called “a list of pragmatic routines for thanking, requesting, offering, and apologizing speech acts in the EFL context”. This list includes 44 and 58 speech formulas and situation-bound utterances, respectively. Results further indicated that advanced language learners used more diverse situation-bound utterances in terms of its internal and contextual complexity than their counterparts in the intermediate group due to expert judgments. Because these formulas can increase coherence in speaking, and enhance effective and natural communication, their instruction could be part of the language teaching curriculum.

This study aims to understand the use of language learning strategies in the context of online and offline language classes to identify preferences and shifts in the application of learning strategy types for the same group of participants experiencing both styles of learning environments. It also aims to establish foundations on which language learning strategy preferences may correspond to specific types of learners-such as those with higher learning aptitude-in the context of online education. Using the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL; Oxford, 1990), 109 Korean university students have been examined over two semesters-the first of which was comprised of face-to-face classes and the second of which was purely operated online in a distance learning context-and six different language learning strategy types have been measured. The results showed significant shifts in strategy use between the two learning environments as well as an increased usage of metacognitive strategy items, along with a decreased usage of affective strategy items, therefore leading to the conclusion that distance learning and its focus on self and peer analysis impacts learners in such a way that they become more conscious of the language learning process.

El propósito del estudio es identificar la utilización de estrategias en el aprendizaje de la lengua extranjera, por estudiantes universitarios, con diferentes niveles de competencia. Los objetivos son: 1) Conocer el uso de las categorías de estrategias en los diferentes niveles, 2) Comparar la utilización de las categorías, 3) Analizar la selección de categorías y 4) Averiguar el uso de las estrategias individuales más y menos frecuentemente utilizadas. Los participantes del estudio fueron 135 estudiantes de Magisterio del Grado de Primaria. El instrumento utilizado para evaluar estrategias ha sido una adaptación del SILL-Strategy nventory for Language Learning (Oxford, 1990) y para medir la competencia se emplearon las calificaciones finales de la asignatura de inglés.Los resultados de la investigación indican que la categoría más frecuentemente utilizada ha sido la Metacognitiva y la menos empleada la de Memorización. Los estudiantes más competentes emplean globalmente más estrategias. Además, se hallaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la utilización de la categoría cognitiva entre los grupos. The purpose of this study is to analyze the language learning strategy use in foreign language learning by university students at different proficiency levels. The objectives of the study are: 1) to learn about the language learning strategy use in language learning proficiency, 2) to compare language learning strategies employed, 3) to analyze the language learning strategies typically employed by a particular group of students, and 4) to find out about specific language learning strategies most frequently used. The participants were 135 teacher training university students. Data collection method used was a questionnaire based on SILL-Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (Oxford, 1990). The scores on English test were used to measure language learning proficiency. The results of this study reveal that learners use Metacognitive strategies more often than other strategies. In contrast, Memory strategies are the least frequently used. The frequent use of a large number of language learning strategies is reported by the most proficient learners. The differences in proficiency and in cognitive strategy use were found to be statistically significant.

This study investigates the difference between monolingual (Kurdish) and bilingual (Kurdish-Arabic) speakers as EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners with regard to the use of Language Learning Strategies (LLS). It aims to identify the differences found between the two samples in terms of using the (LLS). A total number of 100 EFL students at Zakho University as Bilinguals and Duhok University as Monolinguals of English Departments of both universities participated in the study. All the participants were third and fourth year undergraduate students from both universities. They were asked to answer a questionnaire on Rebecca Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning known as SILL. The strategies followed in this paper are the direct ones (memory, cognitive, compensation) and the indirect ones (meta-cognitive, affective, and social) which are highlighted in Oxford (1990). These strategies are chosen for this paper because they are considered to be the most agreed upon ones by many writers in the area of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The valid and reliable statistical ‘independent t-test’ of SPSS is used to analyze the data. It is hypothesized that the results will show significant differences between the two groups (monolinguals and bilinguals) in their strategies in favour of bilinguals. The results of the research reveal that all strategies are clearly and soundly used by both groups, and surprisingly there is no significant difference between bilinguals and monolinguals with regard to the use of the six strategies. It was also found that there is no significant difference between third and fourth year levels concerning the use of the mentioned strategies, as well as there are two identical favourite lists of LLS for both groups.

The objective of this study is to determine which language learning strategies are most frequently employed by ESL students enrolled in BS English program at university of Sindh Jamshoro as well as to investigate the differences in preferred strategies between students in different academic years. Lack of awareness and application of effective language learning strategies causes many students to struggle in attaining desired proficiency levels in English. Thus, in last decades second language acquisition (SLA) research has placed a great deal of emphasis on language learning strategies. Using the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) data were gathered from 100 undergraduate ESL students and 80 valid responses were examined through SPSS 20. The results show that metacognitive, compensatory and cognitive strategies are commonly employed by students. It was found that junior students favored cognitive strategies while senior students used metacognitive strategies more frequently. Future studies may carry out and assess focused educational interventions that take proficiency and demographic variables into account in order to improve the use of efficient language learning techniques.

The present study explores English as a foreign language (EFL) learning strategies used in Hungarian, Chinese, and Mongolian university students with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. A total of 519 university students participated in the survey from the three different countries. The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), developed by Rebecca Oxford (2003), was administered to explore cross-cultural differences in strategy use in the study. To explain cultural divergences, we employed Hofstede's 6-D model of cultural values. The study identified a number of cross-cultural similarities and differences in strategy use among these three groups. All the subsamples similarly preferred the use of metacognitive learning strategies; however, there were some significant differences among the countries. A significant difference was observed in cognitive language learning strategy usage for the Hungarian subsample compared to the Mongolian subsample. With regard to the affective field, we noticed that the Mongolian and Chinese students employed affective strategies significantly more frequently. The Hungarian students rated the use of affective strategies the lowest by comparison. These differences may be partly linked to the cultural traditions of the participating countries. Our findings also suggest that although students' cultural background is a significant factor, linguistic and educational background and teaching traditions are also crucial.

To investigate language learning strategies used by Thai and Vietnmese university students, to compare the use of the strategies by the two groups of students, and to study the influence of gender, motivation, and experience in studying English on their choice of the language learning strategies. The participants are 84 Thai and 52 Vietnamese first or second-year students at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and The University of Social Science and Humanities, Hanoi, Vietnam. The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) developed by Oxford (1990) and semi-structured interviews are used as research instruments. Descriptive and inferential statistics are used to determine the rank of the strategies chosen and the relationship between the three variables and the choices of language learning strategies. The results of the analysis reveal that Thai students used compensation most, followed by cognitive, metacognitive, social, affective and memory strategy categories, respectively. As for Vietnamese students, the most frequently used strategy category is compensation, followed by social, metacognitive, affective, cognitive, and memory categories. The similarity of these two groups of students is that they use compensation category most, and memory category least. Concerning individual strategy, it is found that Thai students tend to guess meanings of unfamiliar words, use circumlocutions or synonyms, use glossaries or dictionaries, whereas Vietnamese students tend to encourage themselves to try harder, and pay attention when someone is speaking. The study also shows that motivation is the most significant factor factor affecting the choice of the strategies, followed by experience in studying English. Gender is the least significant factor. Furthermore, the analysis also shows that lowly-motivated and inexperienced Thai female students tend to use the six strategy categories less than their Vietnamese counterparts. The results of the study are useful particularly to educational planners, methodologists, and classroom teachers; they not only help them understand the strategies used by Thai students in learning English better, but also facilitate the process of improving English education in Thailand.

Gender is a key factor in the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), where its impact on language learning strategies (Aslan, 2009; Oxford & Nyikos, 1989; Sumarni & Rachmawaty, 2019) and productive vocabulary (Canga Alonso & Arribas García, 2014; Fleckenstein, 2018; Jiménez Catalán & Moreno Espinosa, 2004) has been investigated. However, to our knowledge, there is a lack of research of gender on language learning strategies in relation to productive vocabulary in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The present study aimed to pursue three objectives. The first one was to ascertain whether males or females employed more language learning strategies. The second objective was to determine whether males or females had more productive vocabulary. Finally, the third objective was to investigate whether there was a statistically significant relationship between language learning strategies and productive vocabulary. The sample consisted of 51 EFL learners (20 males and 31 females) at the second year of Spanish non-compulsory Secondary Education (equivalent to 12th grade). The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire (Oxford, 1990) and the Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (PVLT) (Laufer & Nation, 1995, 1999) were the instruments employed in order to measure informants’ language learning strategies and productive vocabulary respectively. Afterwards, students’ answers were processed electronically and analyzed quantitatively. Results revealed that females use language learning strategies significantly more than males, but there were not statistically significant differences between them regarding productive vocabulary. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between language learning strategies and productive vocabulary.