VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES **************************** LƯU HỒNG TRANG AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES USE OF STUDENTS FROM ULIS - SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY (USA) JOINT BACHELOR PROGRAM Nghiên cứu thăm dò về việc sử dụng chiến lược học tập ngôn ngữ của sinh viên chương trình đào tạo cử nhân liên kết giữa trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ - ĐHQGHN và trường Đại học Southern New Hampshire (Hoa Kỳ) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 HANOI – 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES **************************** LƯU HỒNG TRANG AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES USE OF STUDENTS FROM ULIS - SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY (USA) JOINT BACHELOR PROGRAM Nghiên cứu thăm dò về việc sử dụng chiến lược học tập ngôn ngữ của sinh viên chương trình đào tạo cử nhân liên kết giữa trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ - ĐHQGHN và trường Đại học Southern New Hampshire (Hoa Kỳ) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Supervisor : Dr. Ngu n Th Ngọc Quỳnh HANOI – 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I, Luu Hong Trang, declare that the thesis entitled “An exploratory study on language learning strategies use of students from ULIS-Southern New Hampshire university (USA) joint bachelor program” reports the result of the study conducted by myself.
The minor thesis is submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and PostGraduate Studies - University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi for Degree of Master in Teaching English Methodology. It has not been published anywhere. Hanoi, 2016 Lưu H ng Trang i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to send my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quynh, for her valuable guidance, helpful advice, recommendation, and encouragement during the time I tried to complete this minor thesis.
Without her supervision, this work would never have been possible. Besides, I would like to thank all the teachers of the Faculty of Graduate and PostGraduate Studies - University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their valuable lectures, whose knowledge is the foundation for my thesis. My deepest thanks also go to all students studying at the joint bachelor program between University of Languages and International Studies and Southern New Hampshire University, USA. Without their active participation, I would not have fulfilled this study.
Finally, I would like to express my biggest love and thanks to my family, my close friends and my colleagues at Centre for International Education, ULIS, VNU for their unconditional support during the time I conducted my research. It was all of them who gave me the will to complete this challenging work. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This study examines the influence of some variables namely gender, motivation and experience of English language learning on the use of language learning strategies by students at the joint bachelor program between University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi and Southern New Hampshire University, USA. The study made use of guided narratives to collect demographic information from the participants and Oxford‟s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) version 7.0 to determine the relationship between the variables and the students‟ use of language learning strategies.
The findings revealed that gender difference is not one of the factors contributing to the differences in the choices of language learning strategies. On the other hand, motivation and experience in learning English have effect on the selection of language learning strategies to some extent. Students with high level of motivation use Meta-cognitive strategies with higher frequency than lowly-motivated students. Students who do not have prior experience of learning English reported higher use of Memory strategies than those learners with prior experience of English learning from established language centres, specialized language classes, or private tutorials.
iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vi LIST OF TABLES vii CHAP 1: INTRODUCTION vii 1. Statement of the problem and rationale for the study.
Aim of the study. Scope of the study. Organization of the study. 3 CHAP 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.
Language Learning Strategies (LLSs). Definition of learning strategies. Classification of language learning strategies. Variables that Influence the Selection of Language Learning Strategies.
Prior Experience of the Language Learning. 14 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Data collection instruments and procedures. Reliability of the questionnaire.
19 CHAP 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Students‟ demographic information. The Influence of Gender on the use of LLSs. The Influence of Motivation on the use of LLSs.
The Influence of Experience in English Language Learning on the use of LLSs. Summary of major findings. Implications for language teaching and learning. Recommendations for Future Research.
I v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ULIS : University of Languages and International Studies SNHU: Southern New Hampshire University LLSs : Language learning strategies SILL : Strategy Inventory for Language Learning STEP : Society of Testing English Proficiency vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1: Description of Gender Table 1.2: Description of Motivation Table 1.3: Description of Experience in learning English Table 2.1: The use of LLSs by Gender Table 2.2: The use of LLSs by Motivation Table 2.3: The use of LLSs by Experience in learning English vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAP 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Statement of the problem and rationale for the study University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS), Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam has recently been rated as one of the top universities in South East Asia for Languages and language studies at the undergraduate level. Moreover, besides the university‟s strengths in pedagogy and linguistic studies training for domestic students, the university is on its way to develop international programs with various universities in the world. Among those program highlights the joint bachelor program in Economics/ Finance between ULIS and Southern New Hampshire university, USA (SNHU).
To ensure the standards of an international program, most of the time, the program courses are delivered fully in English language. As a result, students‟ English language acquisition and proficiency is the key to the success of the training program. Among significant factors contributing to the variation in students‟ English language acquisition, language learning strategies are believed to have great impacts. According to Meschyan and Hernadez (2002), learning a foreign language effectively means using adequate learning strategies.
Despite this value of language learning strategies (LLSs), no research work has been done to investigate the use of language learning strategies by students at this joint bachelor program. Thus, the researcher conducts this study with the hope of finding ways to better English language proficiency of the target students by providing insights to their use of LLSs. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Aim of the study The research paper is carried out to investigate the influence of some variables namely gender, motivation and experience of English language learning in the use of language learning strategies by students at ULIS-SNHU joint bachelor program.
As a result, the study addresses three main questions as follows: 1. To what extent are there significant differences in strategies used by male and female students? 2. To what extent are there significant differences in strategies used by highly and lowly motivated students? 3. To what extent are there significant differences in strategies used by students with or without prior experience of learning English? 1.
Scope of the study As a fruitful research area of language teaching and learning, language learning strategies has been identified to have relationship with a lot of factors such as learners‟ proficiency, learners‟ styles, age, motivation, gender and other individual differences. Within the limitation of a thesis paper, this study investigates the influence of three student variables including gender, motivation and experience of learning English in the use of language learning strategies particularly by students enrolled in the joint bachelor program between University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University and Southern New Hampshire University, USA. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Research methodology The study employed a mixed - methods approach.
Accordingly, data was collected from a standardized questionnaire and guided narratives. The collected data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Organization of the study Chapter 1 – Introduction – deals with rationale, aim, scope and methodology of the study Chapter 2 – Literature review – provides the background of the study, including definitions and classification of the key concept “language learning strategies”, overview and summary of research on variables influence the selection and utilization of language learning strategies namely gender, motivation, experience of learning English. Chapter 3 – Methodology – describes the setting, participants, instruments of the study, as well as the procedures employed to collect and analyze the data.
Chapter 4 – Results and discussion – presents and analyzes the findings that the researcher discovered from the data collected, and compares them with the findings of previous studies. Chapter 5 – Conclusion – present a summary of the major findings, implications for language teaching and learning, limitations of the research as well as some suggestions for further studies. Following this chapter are the References and Appendix. 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAP 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.
Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) 2. Definitions of learning strategies Up to now there is still no agreed definition of language learning strategies; however, most researchers define learning strategies as learners‟ actions and/ or behaviors to facilitate the learning process. Rubin (1975: 43) defines learning strategies as learners‟ techniques or devices to acquire knowledge. Wenden (1998) clarifies the definition by affirming that learning strategies are “mental steps or operations that learners use to learn a new language and to regulate their efforts to do so” (p.
More specifically, Richards and Schmidt (2002: 9, cited in Olga, 2003) consider learning strategies as “the different ways in which learners try to understand the grammar, meanings and uses, and other aspects of the language they are learning”. O‟Malley and Chamot share the same idea regarding learning strategies as: “the special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn, or retain new information. Learning strategies are special ways of processing information that enhance comprehension, learning, or retention of the information.” (O‟Malley and Chamot, 1990, p.1) In this study, the researcher adopts the definition given by Oxford (2001) that learning strategies are mental operations used by learners to aid the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information; and specific actions taken by learners to facilitate their learning process. 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Classification of language learning strategies Throughout the history of researching learning strategies, various models of categorizing learning strategies have been developed; however, the researcher chooses to carry out the study basing on Rebecca L. A lot of scholars (Ellis, 1994; Jones, 1998; Bremner, 1999) consider Oxford‟s model as the most comprehensive and detailed classification of learning strategies to date compared to other models where most of the factors are overlapping. In Oxford‟s framework, learning strategies are classified into two sets of taxonomy: „Direct strategies‟ and „Indirect strategies‟. Direct strategies include memory strategies, cognitive strategies and compensation strategies which “involve direct learning and use of the subject matter” (Oxford, 1990, p.12) and “require mental processing of the language” (Oxford ,1990, p.