Abstract
The purpose of this mixed-methods research is to examine and contextualize the relationship between language learner strategies (LLS) and the English proficiency of 103 college freshmen in Taiwan, which focuses on the differences in intermediate- and beginning- learners with years of English classes. LLS are defined as techniques and behaviors that learners enact with some degree of consciousness to monitor the progress toward the attainment of language learning goals. Research on LLS shows that the strategies implemented by learners are a significant source to understand their achievement differences. Using Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, this independent-measures t-test study shows that the intermediate group significantly used more strategies than the beginning group. The four learners across the two groups who were selected as interviewers revealed compensation strategies as the most popular for them to overcome linguistic limitations in and out of the classroom. The study concludes that a context-sensitive approach offers a detailed picture of LLS as part of learners’ experiences and relevant to their environments.
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Huang, IC. Language Learner Strategies and English Proficiency of College Freshmen in Taiwan: A Mixed-Methods Study. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 24, 737–741 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-014-0200-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-014-0200-7