Abstract:
Language learning strategies have been controversial ever since Rubin’s (1975) landmark article more that 30 years ago. To this day, there is no consensus regarding exactly what a strategy is, which has impeded research initiatives and at times threatened the validity of research findings. The relationship between strategies and successful language learning has also been questioned. Based on the literature of the last three decades, this paper attempts to establish a definition of strategies as activities consciously chosen by learners for the purpose of regulating their own language learning. Using the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning or SILL (Oxford, 1990) complemented by interviews, the paper looks at the strategies used by two successful learners, Nina and Kira, and considers the effect of other learner variables (motivation, nationality, age, gender, personality) on successful language learning. The paper concludes that although they were different in many ways, Nina and Kira were both frequent strategy users. Pedagogical implications of the findings are suggested.
Machine summary:
"JELS, Vol. 1, No. 3, Spring 2010, 1-18 IAUCTB Strategies of Successful Language Learners Carol Griffiths Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey Abstract Keywords: Introduction It is now more than 30 years since researchers such as Rubin (1975), Stern (1975) and Naiman, Frolich, Stern, and Todesco (1978) explored the possibility that success in language learning might be related to the strategies students use.
Other research results (for instance Green & Oxford, 1995) indicate that overall reported frequency of language learning strategy use is significantly related to proficiency, and that higher level students report using a large number of language learning strategies more frequently than lower level students.
8) Nationality German Japanese Gender Female Male Age 19 28 Personality Quiet/shy/lacks confidence Outgoing Motive Cambridge Proficiency Exam Better job - Talking to people in the target Watching TV to practice listening language to improve speaking Reading newspapers skills Talking to native speakers - Consciously working to manage Writing sentences in a notebook Key lack of self confidence Working on knowledge of grammar Strategies - Living in an environment where Manipulating position in the classroom the target language is spoken Doing homework and revision regularly - Writing new language items Providing for time out from study in order down in a notebook to refresh himself Discussion and Pedagogical Implications Nina and Kira were both highly successful students in that they both achieved the goal they were aiming for (a top pass in a high level exam in Nina‟s case, and rapid promotion to the highest class in the school for Kira)."