Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 The objectives
For middle school students, what their attitudes are will decide how they willstudy and what results will come out. Therefore, knowing students’ learning strategiesand guiding them to develop useful strategies may help them be aware of the fact thatproper application of strategies may lift their learning efficiency, cause a positive pushon their outcomes and greatly enhance their confidence. For teachers, doingresearches on strategies may help them develop their strategy awareness, boost theirsense of capability and lift the efficiency of students’ learning. With the increase ofstudents’ learning, educators’ efficiency also got improved.
1.2 The significance of the study
In the process of English study, language learners may take different views onEnglish study, given their distinctive experiences and backgrounds, so they may showdifferent degrees of interest in English study. If an English teacher wants to alter alearner’s attitude and behavior, the cultivation of their interests will work. Students’spontaneous and voluntary study will have a positive effect on their learning. Properstrategies may lessen students’ tension and pressure, and then have a positive effect onstudents’ initiative. Proper guide on the application of studies may help them enhancethe efficiency and outcome of study.Great emphasis is on the study of learning strategies. “Boom” could be a properword to describe those so many studies on it, however, researches on this won’t bemore. The results and effects are not only for teachers and students, but also for theprocess of teaching itself. In addition, we still can’t find one strategy which fitseveryone. We also can’t find the best way to cultivate students’ strategies, thus, moreresearches are needed and they will benefit all who involve.
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Chapter 2 Literature Review
2.1 The Definition of Learning strategy
There are two terms which define the same thing. Some scholars adopt the term“learn strategy”, while others call it “learners’ strategy”. In their book “learners’strategy of language”, Wendon and Rubin mentioned both terms. According to theirdefinition, learners’ strategy is a set of systematic motions, steps, plans and activitieswhich are used to acquire, store, extract and use information. In another word, it ismeasures learners take to make adjustments to their study. Learners’ strategy includeslearning strategies, communicative strategies and social strategies. As opposed tolearners’ strategies, learning strategy means all those that are helpful for theconstruction of linguistic network in the process of language learning. In fact, be itlearners’ strategy or learning strategy, they are basically some comprehensivecountermeasures, measures and methods. As Zhang Jianzhong defines, “it is theprocedure of thinking-oriented activities towards the objective of grasping foreignlanguages (Primary School Education P80, 1996)”. To summarize this, the essence oflearning strategy is practically learning strategies adopted by learners. It is apsychological process with awareness. It is formed in the learning process with theobjective of lifting learners’ efficiency.In students’ daily study, learning strategy is “learning method”. Almost all themiddle school students have the same feelings, “I heard so many learning methodsfrom English teachers every term, but no drastic changes happened in my study”,“this is a common phenomenon”. On the teachers’ side, many English teachers toldtheir pupils, “be aware of your learning method”. In their teaching, instructions likethis are many. However, the most important thing in the process of study is students’own experiences and feelings. Teachers’ guidance is too general to fit every singlestudent. The most appropriate method is those experiences acquired from students’learning process which has concrete contents and practical assessment indexes. Itscharacteristics are as follows,
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2.2 The Current Research on English Learning Strategies, Domestic andOverseas
Started from 1980s, China’s domestic research on English learning strategiesreached a peak in the late 1990s. In 1984, Wu Yian from Beijing Foreign LanguagesUniversity did a research on how much learning methods will affect English testscores. In 1991, Wen Qiufang carried an investigation on the correlation betweenlearning strategies and academic results. In the late 1990s, more researches fromwider perspectives on English learning strategies were done throughout China. Majorresearches include Wu Yian, Liu Linqing, Wen Qiufang and Wang Wenyu. In 1996,Wen Qiufang published “On English Learning Strategy---A Tribute to Friends WhoWish to Be Successful in English Learning”, which is the first book specialized inEnglish learning strategies. In 2002, Cheng Xiaotang and Zheng Min published“English Learning Strategy”, a guidebook for English teachers. This is book withproper combination of theory and practice. From 2003 to 2004, Wen Qiufang andWang Lifei compiled “A Collection of China’s Contemporary Researches on EnglishLearning Strategy”, which includes the theoretical study on learning strategy, the casestudy on English learning strategy, and the research on English writing and spokenEnglish assessments. This collection assembles China’s most important researchesand achievements on English learning strategies during this time. In 2006, LiuZhenqian and Xiao Dafa published a collection of articles on learning strategies called“Research on Foreign languages learning strategy”. This book is of great significancefor education especially for teaching.
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Chapter 3 Methodology ....10
3.1 The Research Content........10
3.2 The Selection of Subjects .........10
3.3 The Necessity and Tendency of This Research .... 11
Chapter 4 Results and Discussion .........14
4.1 The Questionnaires and the Results of Them .......14
4.2 The Interview and the Analysis of the Results .....31
Chapter 5 Conclusion .......36
5.1 Pedagogical Implications..........36
5.2 Limitations of the Study ....40
5.3 Suggestions for Future Research .....40
Chapter 4 Results and Discussion
4.1 The Questionnaires and the Results of Them
Questionnaires are used to assemble and assess data. Results come after thequantitative analysis of these data. The first step is to compile “An Investigation ofEnglish Learning Situation of Middle School Students from Qingzhou DongguanHuizhong Middle school”. The second step is to carry out the questionnaires and thento analyze the results of them. This research explores the current situation of theapplication of English learning strategies, the characteristics of these strategies andthe contrasts of different strategies. After studying the results of questionnaires,conclusions are drawn according to the acquired theories and data.Qingzhou Dongguan Huizhong Middle school is the sample. The researcherdesigned the procedures of the investigation about English learning strategies with theschool’s teaching and research unit. This investigation features in the specialty of thisschool and the students in this school. By comparing the changes in every aspect ofEnglish study among middle school students, better suggestions may come up. All400 leaflets were retrieved after they were filled out, of them, 192 from Grade 1 and200 from Grade 3 are valid.
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Conclusion
English learning strategy is to help learners acquire a better understanding of thetarget language. It is a purposeful behavior or procedure to learn or memorize newthings. Some strategies are confined to help learners finish certain tasks or missions.Some other strategies are general planning, adjusting and assessing of learningobjectives, procedures and results. In another word, it can be summarized as apsychological process of learners to enhance the grasp of language knowledge andimprove the capacity of using the language. These strategies are very specificconsidering the varied learning objectives. The key point of English learning strategyis the application of the learning methods of English as a subject. Given the influenceof many factors in the cognitive process, it takes a long time for every individual tofind ways that fit him well. Teachers play constructive roles in the process. Thealternation of strategies will decide the actual academic performance, which will givea positive push to learners’ attitude. Attitude is consistent to interest and thecombination of them contributes to the realization of learning objectives. As a matterof fact, learning strategy plays an important role in English learning and it is helpfulfor teachers to reach their teaching objectives and for students to attain their learninggoals.
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Reference (omitted)