Libyan University Students’ Language Learning Strategy Use and Their Language Achievement

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.

Language learning strategy (LLS) not only benefits adults’ cognitive and thinking development but also is important for developing students’ independent learning skills and hence plays a significant role in college English learning. The study attempted to investigate the differences and similarities of LLS use and preference between high achievers and low EFL college achievers. The study employed a quantitative method in that 518 college participants are selected to engage in the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire. The statistic analysis was employed to the six dominions: memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective and social strategies. The results indicated that the preference of high and low EFL college achievers using LLS is basically similar. The level of high achievers using LLS was higher than that of low EFL college achievers. The study revealed the respective characteristics of the research population and made a useful attempt in the field of research on LLS of high achievers and low EFL college achievers. Further research may involve hidden influence factors of LLS use between the high and low achievers.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic’s pervasive influence, personality remained a key determinant of individuals’ choices and academic accomplishments in higher education (Rodrigues, Rose, and Hewig 2024). Proactive students are more inclined to pursue foreign language proficiency, which is an educational advantage as by becoming equipped with intercultural communication skills, students become better prepared for the contemporary labor market. This research places emphasis on exploring higher education (HE) English for Specific Purposes (ESP) economics and business students’ use of language learning strategies (LLSs) and their self-perceived proactivity, creativity and emotional regulation during the pandemic of COVID-19. Specifically, it assesses students’ individual differences, investigates connections between LLSs and ESP students’ proactivity, creativity, and emotional regulation, and reveals statistically significant predictors of ESP students’ LLS use. The findings indicate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, medium strategy use was observed across all LLSs, and the metacognitive strategy was utilized the most frequently. Female ESP students employed the affective strategy more, whereas male ESP students utilized the cognitive strategy more. Proactivity was positively correlated with most LLSs and was revealed as the most significant predictor of ESP students’ LLS utilization. The findings of this research contribute to LLS comprehension in the pandemic era, provide insights for ESP educators, and highlight the importance of foreign language learner autonomy.Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic’s pervasive influence, personality remained a key determinant of individuals’ choices and academic accomplishments in higher education (Rodrigues, Rose, and Hewig 2024). Proactive students are more inclined to pursue foreign language proficiency, which is an educational advantage as by becoming equipped with intercultural communication skills, students become better prepared for the contemporary labor market. This research places emphasis on exploring higher education (HE) English for Specific Purposes (ESP) economics and business students’ use of language learning strategies (LLSs) and their self-perceived proactivity, creativity and emotional regulation during the pandemic of COVID-19. Specifically, it assesses students’ individual differences, investigates connections between LLSs and ESP students’ proactivity, creativity, and emotional regulation, and reveals statistically significant predictors of ESP students’ LLS use. The findings indicate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, medium strategy use was observed across all LLSs, and the metacognitive strategy was utilized the most frequently. Female ESP students employed the affective strategy more, whereas male ESP students utilized the cognitive strategy more. Proactivity was positively correlated with most LLSs and was revealed as the most significant predictor of ESP students’ LLS utilization. The findings of this research contribute to LLS comprehension in the pandemic era, provide insights for ESP educators, and highlight the importance of foreign language learner autonomy.Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic’s pervasive influence, personality remained a key determinant of individuals’ choices and academic accomplishments in higher education (Rodrigues, Rose, and Hewig 2024). Proactive students are more inclined to pursue foreign language proficiency, which is an educational advantage as by becoming equipped with intercultural communication skills, students become better prepared for the contemporary labor market. This research places emphasis on exploring higher education (HE) English for Specific Purposes (ESP) economics and business students’ use of language learning strategies (LLSs) and their self-perceived proactivity, creativity and emotional regulation during the pandemic of COVID-19. Specifically, it assesses students’ individual differences, investigates connections between LLSs and ESP students’ proactivity, creativity, and emotional regulation, and reveals statistically significant predictors of ESP students’ LLS use. The findings indicate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, medium strategy use was observed across all LLSs, and the metacognitive strategy was utilized the most frequently. Female ESP students employed the affective strategy more, whereas male ESP students utilized the cognitive strategy more. Proactivity was positively correlated with most LLSs and was revealed as the most significant predictor of ESP students’ LLS utilization. The findings of this research contribute to LLS comprehension in the pandemic era, provide insights for ESP educators, and highlight the importance of foreign language learner autonomy.

The purpose of the study was to investigate language learning strategies used by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at different educational levels and explored the influence of age on the use of language learning strategies. A total of 1,023 students participated in the study. Out of the participants, there were 250 primary students (aged 10-12), 245 junior high school students (aged 13-15), 249 senior high school students (aged 16-18), and 279 tertiary students (aged 20-22). The instrument for data collection was the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). Results showed that statistically significant relationships existed between different age groups and the use of memory strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, and affective strategies. Specifically, secondary and tertiary students reported using compensation strategies more frequently than primary students (p = .000). Tertiary students used social and affective strategies more frequently than did other age groups. The result indicated that age increase is likely to encourage learners to use strategies with more emphasis on the social and functional strategies. Implications are that it is critical for teachers to be more aware of the differences in their students and adjust their teaching practices to meet the developmental needs of students.

This study compared strategy use and beliefs about language learning, and the relationship between beliefs and use reported by 428 monolingual Korean and 420 bilingual Korean-Chinese university students. This study also examined the influence of background variables (e.g., gender, self-rated English proficiency, and academic major) on learners' beliefs and strategy use. Data was collected using three questionnaires, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), the Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI), and the Individual Background Questionnaire (IBQ). Data were analyzed using descriptive analyses, principal-component analyses, factor analyses, Pearson r correlation analyses, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and the Scheffé post-hoc test. Monolinguals reported using compensation strategies most, followed by cognitive, metacognitive, memory, social/practical practice, and affective strategies. Bilinguals preferred to use cognitive strategies most, followed by metacognitive and affective, compensation, memory, social, and independent practice strategies. Students from both groups reported low use of social and memory strategies. Despite a less favorable formal English education environment in the Korean-Chinese community and fewer English learning experiences, bilingual Korean-Chinese reported higher use of learning strategies, which indicates bilinguals' superior language learning abilities. Students from both groups had strong instrumental motivation for learning English. Bilinguals held stronger beliefs about the importance of formal learning and felt less fear of speaking English with native English speakers. Significant correlations between strategy and belief variables indicated differences in the impact of beliefs on strategy use for both groups. The result of the MANOVA revealed that bilingual humanities or engineering majors used more strategies and held stronger beliefs about formal learning. Proficiency level was positively correlated with strategy use for both groups. No gender effect on strategy use and beliefs was found. The assumption that differences in the learning experiences of the participants from two distinct geographical and socio-educational learning settings would influence the findings of this study was upheld.

The purpose of this study was to examine Chinese undergraduate students’ language learning strategy use in flipped English learning and the effect of gender and language proficiency on strategy use. It aimed to enrich the research on language learning strategies as well as the flipped classroom and render implications to EFL instructors on developing students’ language learning strategy use in flipped English learning. Research questions in this study revolved around identifying the most and least frequently used language learning strategies in Chinese undergraduate students’ flipped English learning, and the influence of gender as well as language proficiency on the frequency of students’ strategy use. In this study, the researchers employed random sampling to select 109 students enrolled in the flipped English course for non-English majors at H University in China. Oxford’s (1990) Strategies Inventory of Language Learning (SILL) was modified for a flipped classroom context and employed to collect data. T-tests and ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that participants employed language learning strategies with medium frequency in flipped English learning. While they employed social strategies the most frequently, they used metacognitive strategies the least frequently. Furthermore, the male and female participants were not significantly different in their strategy use. However, there was a significant difference in strategy use in relation to English language proficiency in that high proficiency students employed strategies more frequently than low proficiency students. Pedagogical implications are provided.

The use of language learning strategies might be influenced by many factors such as gender, background cultures, career orientation and learning settings. In vocational setting, career orientation become an issue that needs a concern. The choice of department as career orientation is suspected to affect different strategies in learning English. This study aimed to identify the language learning strategies employed by the vocational high school students and to find out the differences in strategy use between two majors. This study involved 95 students from automotive engineering and electrical engineering of vocational high school students. Strategies Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire which was constructed by Oxford (1990) was used in this study. Six domains were included in this questionnaire: Memory, Cognitive, Compensatory, Metacognitive, Affective, and Social. There are 50 items with 5 likert points in data completion. To analyze the data, SPSS and Microsoft Excel were used by the researcher. Results showed that there was a difference (M=9.168) in language learning strategies use of electrical engineering and automotive engineering students. Furthermore the metacognitive strategy was the most used while the memory strategy was the least used by the students.

This study investigated the relationship between language learning aptitude (LLA) and the use of language learning strategies (LLSs) among a cohort of Iranian EFL students at Urmia University, Iran. The adapted versions of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT; Carrol & Sapon, 1983) and Oxford’s (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) were distributed among the participants (i.e., 6 males and 32 females). A strong positive relationship was found between aptitude and the use of all the categories of LLSs. Pearson product-moment correlation also indicated a strong positive relationship among components/categories within MLAT and SILL. Furthermore, the application of t test showed no significant differences between the males and females on their overall LLA test scores, but a one-way ANOVA indicated significant differences between the two genders regarding the cognitive and metacognitive strategies in favor of the males. One-way ANOVA also revealed significant differences between high versus low-aptitude students on LLSs use in favor of the former group.

The English language proficiency of South African learners is integral to academic achievement, career development and functioning in a multilingual society. Against this background, this article reports on an empirical investigation of the relationship between (1) performance in standardised reading/writing tests in English Second Language (ESL) and (2) the use of language learning strategies (LLSs). The focus of the study on LLSs was determined by the importance of self-directed learning in outcomes-based education (OBE). A literature study investigated the role of and interplay between contextual factors and learner factors in the development of English Second Language proficiency and their relationship with the ESL learner's language learning strategies. The empirical inquiry comprised a case study of an underachieving Grade 11 learner in a secondary school in KwaZulu-Natal. The latter was chosen on the basis of poor matriculation results. Data gathering took place by means of the application of two standardised tests, the Writing Performance Test in English and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, an individual interview using a structured interview schedule and observation in the teaching and learning environment. It was found that a significant relationship between language proficiency (in terms of performance in standardised reading and writing tests) and LLS use can only be assumed with some confidence in respect of memory and cognitive strategies, but not in respect of compensation, metacognitive, affective and social strategies. The implications for language teaching in Curriculum 2005 context are briefly indicated. Key words: standardised test performance, language learning strategies, English Second Language, KwaZulu-Natal, underachievement, secondary school, case study [Jnl for Language Teaching Vol.37(2) 2003: 164-178]

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.

This study investigates the role of language learning strategies (LLS) in shaping Indonesian EFL learners’ speaking performance by integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence in a mixed-methods design. Specifically, it aims to (1) describe learners’ use of LLS, (2) examine the correlation between LLS and speaking performance, (3) identify the predictive contribution of LLS to speaking outcomes, and (4) explore learners’ strategic experiences in speaking development through responses to open-ended questionnaire items. Eighty undergraduate EFL students participated in the study. Quantitative data were collected using the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and a speaking performance test, while qualitative data were obtained from learners’ open-ended responses about how they used strategies in practice. The quantitative results revealed a very strong positive correlation between LLS and speaking performance (r = .912, p < .001), indicating that students who employed strategies more frequently tended to achieve higher speaking scores. Multiple regression analysis showed that no single LLS category uniquely predicted speaking performance due to severe multicollinearity among strategy types, suggesting that LLS operate as an integrated, interdependent system rather than isolated components. Descriptive results indicated that cognitive strategies were the most dominant, while qualitative evidence showed that learners actively combined cognitive, metacognitive, social, and affective strategies including repeated practice, imitation, planning, self-monitoring, and peer interaction. Learners demonstrated strong self-regulation in overcoming challenges and benefited from teacher feedback, peer support, and technological tools. Overall, the findings highlight that strategic behavior is crucial for enhancing speaking fluency, accuracy, and confidence, implying that EFL instruction should explicitly foster strategic awareness and provide supportive learning environments to optimize speaking development.

English Learning Strategy and Proficiency Level of the First Year Students

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 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.

Twelve Turkish-Greek bilingual learners of English were orally administered a translated version of the SILL questionnaire (Oxford 1990) and had to specify frequency of language learning strategy (LLS) use as well as confidence in the effectiveness of each strategy on a [01] bar instead of the usual Likert scales. Deviations between frequency and confidence in the results indicate that learners either appreciate the effectiveness of a strategy but they do not know how to use it or that they use a strategy without firmly believing in its usefulness, which suggests the need for pedagogical interventions to raise the learners’ awareness of language learning strategies and how to use them. More proficient learners exhibit higher frequency and confidence in reported LLS use than their less proficient peers, while the age of the learners does not seem to affect LLS use.