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Review of Related Literature

This chapter reviews related literature and studies that will support the research on the relationship between language learning strategies and English proficiency. Previous research has found that language learning strategies help students become more effective learners and develop mastery of the target language. However, less is known about the specific relationships between language learning strategies, attitudes, proficiency levels, and academic achievement. The current study aims to examine these relationships in young Hungarian students to better understand the language learning process.

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863 views3 pages

Review of Related Literature

This chapter reviews related literature and studies that will support the research on the relationship between language learning strategies and English proficiency. Previous research has found that language learning strategies help students become more effective learners and develop mastery of the target language. However, less is known about the specific relationships between language learning strategies, attitudes, proficiency levels, and academic achievement. The current study aims to examine these relationships in young Hungarian students to better understand the language learning process.

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ciedelle aranda
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REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the Review of Related Literature and studies that will support this
research on Language Learning Strategies and English Proficiency.

This study examines language learning strategy (LLS) use in connection with foreign language
attitude, proficiency and general school achievement among lower secondary students in Years
5 and 8 (n = 868) in Hungary. An adapted version of the Strategies Inventory for Language
Learning questionnaire was used for data collection. The results showed that Hungarian
students mainly engage in metacognitive strategies in both years. Differences between more
and less proficient language learners’ strategy use have also been found. With regard to the
effect of LLS on foreign language attitude, the foreign language mark and school achievement,
path analysis indicated a good fit in both years. The metacognitive, social and memory
strategies primarily influenced foreign language attitudes and marks in Year 5. The
metacognitive strategies had a slight impact on school achievement as well as on foreign
language marks. We demonstrated the dominant effect of metacognitive strategies and the low
effect of memory strategies in Year 8. In addition, metacognitive strategies also influenced
foreign language marks. The effect of foreign language marks on school achievement was also
remarkable. There was a strong impact on the children’s attitudes through these variables.

In recent decades, a number of studies have focused on foreign language learning, with the
emphasis often having been placed on language learning strategies (LLS; Wong and Nunan,
2011; Oxford, 2016). Several studies have confirmed that these strategies aid students in
becoming more effective learners inside the classroom and foster more efficient development
of students’ mastery of the target language after leaving school (Wong and Nunan, 2011).
However, less is known about the structure and relationship between LLS, foreign language
attitude, the foreign language mark and general school achievement (GA). Recent studies have
mainly dealt with LLS among university students and upper secondary students, with only a few
investigations having been conducted among lower secondary students. In the present study,
we aim to examine young Hungarian students’ LLS use and its connexion to foreign language
attitude, the foreign language mark and school achievement at the beginning and end of lower
secondary school. We believe that it adds value to the article that we have investigated a young
age group, as the beginning period of language learning can establish the success of the entire
process. Another advantage of our research is that we analysed the whole language learning
process in connexion with several other factors to represent the complexity of the language
learning process.
The research reported here investigated the relationship between students’ use of language
learning strategies and their English proficiency, and then interpreted the data from two
models in information-processing theory. Results showed that the students' English proficiency
significantly affected their use of learning strategies, with high-level students using more
strategies more frequently than low-level students. An in-depth analysis of the data revealed
that there were some characteristics of strategy use by each group of the students. These
characteristics could be linked to five factors in the ACT model (management of L2 learning,
imagery, analyzing, practicing and management of information-processing limitations) and
three factors in the 3P model (value and expectations concerning achievement, linguistic
competence and prior knowledge).

In today’s world, the global spread of English is “unprecedented and unparalleled” (Seidlhofer,
2011). English has become the preferred language of choice for international communication in
a variety of domains, thus gaining the status as a lingua franca. As such, English language skills
have been recognized in Korea as essential skills to acquire in order to be successful in a
globalized society. English is a core element of the secondary school curriculum, and college
students study English to find good jobs after graduation. From a young age, Korean children
spend many hours every week studying English and often go to private English academies and
institutes to improve their English language skills (For a critical review of Koreans’ zeal for
English education, see Kang, 2014). Similar to Japan (Takeuchi, 2003), books on how to study
English are abundant in bookstores. In short, there is a keen interest in what it takes to be a
successful language learner. Early research on key factors to successful language learning began
with empirical studies on the behaviors of good language learners (GLLs), such as Rubin (1975)
and Stevick (1989). In addition, research on learner characteristics attempted to identify
particular traits that seem to be shared by successful language learners, ranging from
intelligence and aptitude to personality and learner beliefs (Lightbown & Spada, 1999). There
may be a varying degree of correlations between language learning outcomes and these traits,
but it has been pointed out that individual characteristics do not predict the success of
language learning with accuracy. Another relevant strand of research was aimed at identifying
specific learning strategies employed by good language learners (O’Malley & Chamot, 1990;
Oxford, 1990, Wenden & Rubin, 1987, among others). In more recent years, studies on learning
strategy instruction and learner autonomy have demonstrated that language learning strategies
(LLSs) can be instructed to language learners and that learner autonomy together with
motivations for language learning can lead to successful language learning outcomes (e.g., Ho &
Crookall, 1995; Keene & Zimmermann, 1997; Kim 2013). In this context, it is worth noting that
learning English as a foreign language (EFL) is a different context from learning English as a
second language (ESL). While the latter is an input-rich learning context, the first is a context
that offers limited exposure to authentic language input. As Takeuchi (2003) points out,
therefore, different language learning strategies may be needed or preferred in an EFL context.
This study was designed to investigate language learning strategies employed by successful
English language learners. To this end, 20 graduate students enrolled in the Department of
Korean and English at a graduate school of interpretation and translation in Korea were
recruited as participants. Reports of these participants on their successful English language
learning experiences are qualitatively analyzed to draw implications for English language
learners in Korean and other EFL contexts.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02358/full

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09571736.2012.733886
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1096670.pdf

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