A Brief Introduction on English Learning Strategy

○ Cui Shaofang

(Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, 010022)



A Brief Introduction on English Learning Strategy

○ Cui Shaofang

(InnerMongoliaNormalUniversity,Hohhot,InnerMongolia, 010022)

The paper generally talks about the current situation of English language strategy both abroad and at home so as to provide some references to tens of thousands of foreign language educators.

learning strategy, learning ability, good language learners

I. Introduction

With the development of foreign language teaching and research as well as the gradual improvement of theory, the field of Language teaching both abroad and at home have come to realize the importance of applying and studying the related learning strategies for achieving ideal learning effects since 1970’s. Many domestic and foreign scholars mainly chose those who study English as a second language as their study subjects, and found that learning strategy is an important factor affecting English learning. Wen Qiufang (1996) once said that “a series of research on foreign language teaching shows that the differences in English learning strategies has a decisive influence on the performance when other conditions are the same.”[1]11

Ⅱ. Related Research Abroad

In the past 30 years, the study of learning strategy (abroad or at home) has been quite comprehensive and the in-depth

research on learning strategies has begun since 1970s. The earliest researchers abroad on language learning strategies are Rubin (1975), Naiman et al. (1978), Wong ～Umom (1976) and Sterm (1983) etc, among whom J.Rubin is one of the most influential researchers who studied the language learning strategies at an early stage. She mainly observed the learning behaviors of good language learners and investigated the situation of how good language learners use learning strategies in foreign language learning through questionnaires, interviews and so on. Following Rubin, the research findings by N.Naiman et al. can be considered to be the first important discovery in the research of language learning strategies. Naiman et al published their classic bookTheGoodLanguageLearner(Naiman et al, 1978/1996) in 1978. Compared with the previous studies, the research conducted by Naiman et al has great improvement in the aspects of depth, breadth and research methods etc.

In 1990 J. Michael O’Malley and Anna Uhl Chamot published the well-known bookLearningStrategiesinSecondLanguageAcquisition. In 2008 Oxford published another important bookLanguageLearningStrategies:WhatEveryTeacherShouldKnow. The two books reflect the major theories and findings in foreign language learning strategy research and represent the research level in this field in 1980s.

Since 1990s, the research of foreign language learning strategy continues to develop and shows the following three new trends:

1. A Combination of the research on foreign language learning strategy and the autonomous learning strategy.LearnerStrategiesforLearnerAutonomypublished by Wenden in 1991 focused on the relationship between foreign language learning strategies and autonomous learning ability.

2. Language learning strategy training becoming the focus of research on learning strategies. Cohen publishedStrategiesinLearningandUsingaSecondLanguagein 1998 — another important monograph about language learning strategy.

3. A focus on the research of the relationship between learning strategies and culture. What could represent this research trend is the bookLanguageLearningStrategiesaroundtheWorld:Cross-culturalPerspectivespublished by Oxford in 1996. This book has collected important papers on the study of language learning strategies around the world, among which there is a special chapter analyzing the similarities and differences between Chinese foreign language learners and learners from other countries in language learning strategies from the cultural respective.

It can be seen that the study of foreign language learning strategies abroad began in early 1970s, and flourished in 1980s and 1990s. As for the study of foreign language learning strategies in China it began in 1980s, and flourished in late 1990s.

Ⅲ. Related Research in China

In 1984, Huang Xiaohua from Guangzhou Foreign Language School finished the master thesis calledAninvestigationoflearningstrategiesinoralcommunicationwhich marked the beginning of the study of Chinese language learning strategies. Wen

Qiufang also carried on the investigation and studied about the question of the relation between learning strategies and English

achievement in 1991. Entering 1990s, the field of foreign language teaching in China has seen more extensive research on Chinese students’ foreign language learning strategies and a large number of papers are published. The main researchers of this period of time are Liu Runqing (1993;2000), Wen Qiufang (1995; 1996) etc. Their main research involves foreign language learning strategies directed at Chinese students as EEFL learners and particularly the undergraduate students of English major. In 1996,Wen Qiufang publishedtheEnglishlearningstrategies— dedicated to those friends who manage to learn English well. It is the first special work on foreign language learning strategies that has been published in China. The book that is based on research findings about learning strategies at home and abroad summarizes the theoretical framework of learning strategies and introduced a variety of training methods towards learning strategies from a practical point of view. Both the theoretical

research significance and the guiding significance in practice are involved. Cheng Xiaotang and Zheng Min publishedEnglishlearningstrategiesin 2002, which combins (what) theory with practice. Their book introduces a lot of significant content about the study of learning strategies, such as, definitions, classifications, strategies of listening,speaking reading and writing, and the training methods of English learning strategy in order to meet the needs of the teachers. During 2003 and 2004, Wen Qiufang and Wang Lifei compiled China contemporary English learning and Strategy Research Series, which included both theoretical research and empirical studies of the learning strategies in the subjects of of English writing, testing and oral English. This series bring together the important research achievements of foreign language learning strategies in current China. Liu Zhenqian published the study of foreign language learning strategy in 2006, which is a collection of academic papers of learning strategy and among them a lot of research has filled the domestic blank. The subjects of study are mainly students of English and non English majors, which surely has valuable practical significance.

The domestic researchers mainly choose college students as subjects with the following characteristics. First, the focus of

research is often on vocabulary learning strategy. The findings of the study show that vocabulary learning strategies has significant influence on foreign language learning (Wang Wenzi, 1998; Wu Xia, 1998; Zhang Ping, 2001; Chen Hui, 2001; Lin min, 2003; Zhang Ye, 2003). Secondly, the study of communicative strategies has caused a certain degree of attention. As Gao Haihong (2000) showed in one study that learners tend to use retrieval strategy rather than achievement strategies. Tan Xuemei (2002) also did research on usage of communicative strategies

among non English majors. Thirdly, research on the relationship between learning strategies and learning achievement has aroused increasing attention (Wen Qiufang, 1995; Wen Qiufang, Wang Haixiao, 1996; Jiang Xiaohong, 2003). Finally, the factors which influence strategy use have also been incorporated into the study (Wen Qiufang, 1996; Jiang Xiaohong, 2003).

Since 1970s, the focus of second language acquisition research at home has transferred from teachers’ teaching to students’ learning. The study found that great difference lies in learner’s age, attitude, motivation, personality, language aptitude and cognitive style.

Ⅳ. Author’s Own Teaching Experience

The students who are in normal university will turn teachers after graduating. As a result, it’s extremely significant for them to do educational practice. They inevitably make some mistakes of this sort or that sort as soon as they first stand on the platform. Only by analyzing these problems, finding out the reason and then solving the problems can we have the instructional effect on later teaching.

I believe the problem of pronunciation is the most outstanding one during my own educational practice. Owning to the effect of Chinese pronunciation habit, negative transfer can be found during the students’ pronunciation instruction. In order to improve the efficiency of language learning, we must analyse and compare the difference and feature between these two categories of language pronunciation aspect.

When I was teaching in the junior high school, I found that some students have problems with single morpheme, while other students have no problems of this sort but are weak in understanding at the pragmatic level, still some other students’ intonation are strongly influenced by their hometown language, we can easily judge where they come from by their English pronunciation. The last sort of students is those who ignore phonetic phenomenon. For example, they can’t distinguish stops, liaison, assimilation, etc.

There are a great amount of students paying no attention to these mini point while they were learning English in the elementary stage. They can’t pronounce the English morpheme /g/ as“歌”in Chinese, pronounce /i/ like“衣”and also read /h/

equal to“喝”and so on.

I insist that we must give students proper language environment to learn English. Nowadays, however, teachers pay more attention to the score in texts and ignore the right pronunciation of words, what’s more, stress, tone and intonation in a sentence. As primary students have English class no sooner than they attend Grade Three, I strongly recommend that more and more pronunciation instruction be put in PEP. Through the four year learning in primary school, students will be able to pronounce well before they attend junior high school.

As is introduced in Understand Second Language Acquisition, children can acquire their first language without any effort. Language acquisition can be divided into three stages, which are, holophrastic stage, two-word stage and three-word utterance. Through these three stages, children will acquire their mother tongue by themselves. However, it is that difficult for them to learn a second language as they grow up, why

It is a popular belief that second language acquisition is strongly influenced by the learner’s first language. That is to say, the role of the first language in second language acquisition is a negative one. It may interfere with the learning of the second language acquisition. Another example can be used here is that if we put a Chinese child to a foreign country hardly when he was born, he will then acquire the language of that country not Chinese, however, if we put a newly-born puppy into a group of cats, it can’t acquire the language of cats but bark like “汪汪”. Therefore, language environment is the key to succeed in learning second language. If we teach our students at very early age and create language environment for them, they will surely reach high level of English sooner or later.

Through this educational practice, I learn many things that can not be learned at university. Such as how to get along with other colleagues, how to control the whole class which contains more than 60students, how to do preparation before class, etc. I believe I can become a good teacher after my graduating from

university if I pay more attention to the problem I faced and try my best to improve this situation.

Ⅴ. Summary

What enlightens me most can be summarized as follows: First, students should be aware that the learning strategy plays an important role in the process of learning. Only by having a profound understanding of the importance and functions of the learning strategy, will students be more motivated to learn and use the strategies in their learning process. Secondly, students should try their best to understand all the possible use of learning strategies through a variety of ways. Third, teachers should make full preparations before class and make clear the what stage students can reach in using strategy as well as their need in order to teach them in proper ways.

[1]文秋芳.英语学习策略论——献给立志学好英语的朋友[M].上海外语教育出版社，1996.

[2] 王笃勤.英语教学策略论[M].外语教学与研究出版社，2002.

[3] 文秋芳，王立非.英语学习策略理论研究[M].陕西师范大学出版社，2004.

[4] J. Michael O’Malley, Anna Uhl Chamot. 1990. Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition[M].Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

崔少芳，内蒙古师范大学外国语学院外国语言学及应用语言学专业学生。

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浅谈英语学习策略

崔少芳

(内蒙古师范大学 外国语学院，内蒙古 呼和浩特 010022)

本文总体概述了国内外英语学习策略的研究现状，目的在于为众多从事外语教学与研究的同仁提供一些参考。

学习策略； 学习能力； 良好的语言学习者