MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
QUY NHON UNIVERSITY
NGUYỄN HÀ VỸ LINH
QUY NHON UNIVERSITY EFL
STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching
Code: 8140111
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền
BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN
NGUYỄN HÀ VỸ LINH
CHI N LƢỢC HỌC TẬP NGÔN NGỮ C A SINH VIÊN
ANH NGỮ TẠI TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN
Ngành: Lý Luận và Phƣơng Pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh
Mã số: 8140111
Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: PGS.TS. Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền
i
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
I certify that the thesis entitled Quy Nhon University EFL Students’
Language Learning Strategies is my own original work. I further declare
that I have not submitted this paper for the award of any other degree or
diploma. Any works of other authors consulted in this thesis are listed in the
reference.
Quy Nhon, 2022
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The completion of this graduation thesis is the result of not only my own
efforts but also other of organizations and individuals to whom I would like
to express my deepest gratitude.
First of all, I am sincerely grateful to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr.
Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, who has devoted her time and effort to giving valuable
comments and precious advice for me in spite of her huge workload. Without
her patience and constant encouragement during the procedure of conducting
this study, the work would never have been accomplished.
Secondly, my warmest thanks go to all lecturers from the Department of
Foreign Languages and the staff of the Department of Postgraduate Training
for their critical courses and endless assistance during my study at the
university.
Thirdly, I would like to extend my special thanks to 200 the students
from classes. Without their help, I could not gather enough qualitative and
quantitative data to conduct this study.
Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my
beloved family and friends, who have always believed in me and given me
power to overcome all the challenges I encountered while carrying out this
research.
iii
ABSTRACT
Language learning strategies play a significant part in learning a second
or foreign language. These strategies support and simplify the process of
language learning for students. Therefore, this study endeavors to investigate
language learning strategies applied by students at the Department of Foreign
Languages, Quy Nhon university in learning English language as a foreign
language. To fulfill the aim, the study was carried out with the enthusiastic
participation of 200 English majors from first year to fourth year. The study
used the language learning strategy questionnaire established by Oxford
(1990) to collect data of 200 students, 20 out of 200 students from different
courses then participated in interviews, and later the data was both
qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The study discloses that EFL
students at Quy Nhon university were accustomed to the whole six language
learning strategies clusters. These language learning strategies clusters are:
Memory, Cognitive, Compensation, Metacognitive, Social, and Affective
strategies with a high level of frequency use for over-all strategies (M = 3.60).
The most repeatedly applied strategies by students from these six strategies
are as follows from the top Metacognitive, Social, Memory, Cognitive,
Compensation and Affective strategies, particularly EFL students prioritized
the strategy of paying attention when someone is speaking English (item of
Metacognitive strategies) as this significantly contributes to improving their
second language acquisition. The findings would help teachers and students to
be aware of language learning strategies while in teaching and learning
English as a foreign language.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. iii
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................... vi
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................... vi
1.1. Rationale ................................................................................................. 1
1.2. Aims and objectives ................................................................................ 3
1.2.1. Aims .................................................................................................. 3
1.2.2. Objectives ......................................................................................... 3
1.3. Research questions .................................................................................. 3
1.4. Scope of the study ................................................................................... 4
1.5. Significance of the study ......................................................................... 4
1.6. Organization of the study ........................................................................ 4
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................... 6
2.1. Language Learning Strategies................................................................. 6
2.1.1. Definition of Language Learning Strategies .................................... 6
2.1.2. Classification of Language Learning Strategies ............................... 9
2.2. Oxford‟s Language Learning Strategy Classification (1990) ................. 13
2.2.1. Direct Language Learning Strategies ............................................. 17
2.2.2. Indirect Language Learning Strategies ........................................... 22
2.3. The Previous Studies on Language Learning Strategies ...................... 27
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .................................................................. 30
3.1. Research Methods ................................................................................. 30
3.2. Research Participants ............................................................................ 30
3.3. Research Instruments ............................................................................ 31
3.3.1. Questionnaire .................................................................................. 31
v
3.3.2. Semi-structured interview ............................................................... 32
3.4. Procedure for Data Collection .............................................................. 33
3.4.1. Questionnaire .................................................................................. 33
3.4.2. Semi-structured interview ............................................................... 34
3.5. Procedure for Data Analysis ................................................................. 35
3.6. Ethical Consideration ............................................................................ 36
3.7 Chapter Summary .................................................................................. 36
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................ 38
4.1. Reliability Test ...................................................................................... 38
4.2. Overall Language Learning Strategies Used by EFL Students at Quy
Nhon University ........................................................................................... 39
4.2.1. Memory Strategies .......................................................................... 43
4.2.2. Cognitive Strategies ........................................................................ 46
4.2.3. Compensation Strategies................................................................. 49
4.2.4. Metacognitive Strategies................................................................. 52
4.2.5. Affective Strategies......................................................................... 55
4.2.6. Social Strategies .............................................................................. 57
4.3. Most and least frequently used language learning strategies ............... 60
4.3.1. Most frequently used language learning strategies ......................... 60
4.3.2. Most frequently used language learning strategies ......................... 62
4.4. Chapter Summary ................................................................................. 64
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .............................. 65
5.1. Conclusions ........................................................................................... 65
5.2. Implications ........................................................................................... 66
5.3. Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research ............................... 68
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1. Oxford‟s Taxonomy of Language Learning Strategies (Oxford,
1990, p. 17) ................................................................................... 16
Table 4.1. Reliability Test ............................................................................... 38
Table 4.2. Oxford‟s (1990) Guidelines for Understanding Average Scores
on the SILL ................................................................................... 39
Table 4.3. The students‟ responses to the use of the six strategy categories
(N=200) ......................................................................................... 40
Table 4.4. Memory strategies .......................................................................... 43
Table 4.5. Cognitive strategies ........................................................................ 46
Table 4.6. Compensation strategies ................................................................ 50
Table 4.7. Metacognitive strategies ................................................................ 53
Table 4.8 Affective Strategies ......................................................................... 55
Table 4.9. Social strategies.............................................................................. 58
Table 4.10. The 3 most frequently used language learning strategies ............ 60
Table 4.11. The 3 least used language learning strategies .............................. 62
1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The chapter introduces the topic of this thesis: language learning
strategies used by a group of EFL students at Quy Nhon university learning
English as a foreign language. More specifically, it provides the rationale, the
aim and objectives, research questions, the scope, the significance, and the
organization of the study. The relevance of the present study to the overall
contemporary field of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) research is also
considered.
1.1. Rationale
Language learning strategies have played a critical role in the acquisition
of foreign languages. Therefore, several types of language learning strategy
research were published and flourished in the 1970s with the theory of
cognitive revolution, and a number of researches have shown an adjacent
association between language learning strategies, language learning, and
achievements. Oxford explains language learning strategies as “specific
action taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable,
more self-directed, and more effective and more transferable to new
situations” (1990:8). She also continues saying that learning strategies take a
substantial part for language learners to enhance their foreign language
abilities. Furthermore, when it comes to studying a foreign language, students
or learners must be mindful of using appropriate learning strategies.
(Meshyan
&
Hernandez,
2002;
Al-Wazzan,
2020;
Salma,
2020).
Consequently, not having appropriate language learning strategies turns out to
be a problem for students and learners to develop their foreign language.
As far as the previous studies on the use of language learning strategies
2
are concerned, Anida (2003) has effectively confirmed that EFL students are
capable of developing their performances, interests, self-confidence, and
attitude towards the learning English by following significant language
learning strategies. The study further shows a connection between language
learning strategies and language skills. Another study by Qingquan et al.
(2008) examined differences in the language learning strategies use by the
first-year students at a Chinese university. The findings indicated that the high
achievers employed a wider range of language learning strategies at a higher
level and more various types of language learning strategies than the low
achievers did. In another EFL context, Osman and Manan (2010) conducted a
survey with 20 successful and 20 less successful language students from an
urban school in Ipod, Perak, to explore the most frequently used strategies and
any differences in language learning strategies use between the successful
learners and the less successful ones. Furthermore, it was shown that
Affective, Compensation, and Metacognitive strategies used at a moderate
level were preferred by the participants.
In the context of Vietnam, there are also studies on language learning
strategies of Bui (2018), Duong (2019), Ngo (2019), and Vo and Duong
(2020). More precisely, Bui (2018) conducted the study to investigate the
language learning strategies used by Vietnamese EFL first-year students at
Hanoi University of Business and Technology, as well as how these strategies
differed depending on the students' English level. Besides, Ngo (2019) and
Duong (2019) conducted studies with the same aim of exploring language
learning strategies, and the subjects of both studies are high school students.
Meanwhile, Vo and Duong (2020) conducted a study with a new approach
addressing only Metacognitive strategies at a Ho Chi Minh City-based college
with the participation of non- English majors. It was indicated that the
participants recognized the importance of Metacognitive strategies in their
3
English learning. As a result, there have also been numerous studies on
language learning strategies in the Vietnamese context in terms of research
subject and research site. However, there has not been a significant research
related to language learning strategies on the research site at Quy Nhon
university and for students of this university – a university in Vietnam's
central region. Admittedly, specific language learning strategies will be used
differently in different contexts and with different backgrounds. This has
generated my motivation to conduct a study on “Quy Nhon University EFL
Students’ Language Learning Strategies” with the aim of determining
appropriate language learning strategies for students at a university situated in
the middle of Vietnam, where the majority of students come from the
mountains and countryside.
1.2. Aims and objectives
1.2.1. Aims
The primary goal of this study is to determine language learning
strategies which are used by English language majors in the Department of
Foreign Languages at Quy Nhon University.
1.2.2. Objectives
The study was conducted in an endeavor to:
1. Investigate language learning strategies applied by English language
majors in the Department of Foreign Languages.
2. Categorize the most and least common language learning strategies
applied by English language majors in the Department of Foreign Languages.
1.3. Research questions
In order to reach the above aims, the study is going to seek answers for
the following research questions:
1. What language learning strategies do English language majors use?
4
2. What are the most frequently and least frequently used language
learning strategies by English language majors?
1.4. Scope of the study
The scope of the research in the present study is to investigate the language
learning strategies which English language majors in the Department of Foreign
Languages employ in learning English. Because of time, ability, and data
availability constraints, this study focuses primarily on students' usage of
language learning strategies and classification of the most common ones used by
these students. Furthermore, the participants in this study are restricted to
English language majors from the Department of Foreign Languages at Quy
Nhon university. As a result, the study's generalizability should be limited, and
the findings may not be representative of all Vietnamese English majors.
1.5. Significance of the study
While many researchers have conducted studies on language learning
strategies, there have been only a few studies conducted in a university setting.
The current study may also be useful for EFL teachers in raising their
awareness of their students‟ use of language learning strategies. Teachers can
help students learn languages by raising awareness of these strategies, training
and encouraging them to use the strategies that work best for their individual
learning styles. Similarly, students must be conscious of the wide range of
strategy options available to them, as well as how to use such strategies to
improve their English learning. Furthermore, the study's findings may assist
EFL curriculum developers and program administrators in selecting or
producing EFL textbooks and materials that adapt to various individuals with
different language learning strategies.
1.6. Organization of the study
The thesis includes five chapters: Introduction, Literature Review,
Research Method, Results, and Conclusion.
5
Chapter 1 provides the rationale, the aims and objectives of the study
and research questions, the scope of the study, the significance, and the
organization of the study.
Chapter 2 deals with the literature on language learning strategies,
definitions, characteristics, and classifications of language learning strategies.
This literature review provided a comprehensive overview of Oxford‟ (1990)
typology for language learning strategies. Additionally, this chapter also
discusses the importance of language learning strategies and review some of
the research studies on language learning strategies that have been conducted
in different contexts.
Chapter 3 presents the methods by which the study is carried out. Then,
it provides the questions. Following that, it describes the research design and
the study's participants. The research instruments and materials used for data
analysis are then mentioned. Finally, this chapter discusses the study's data
collection and data analysis procedures.
Chapter 4 provides a detailed presentation and analysis of collected data
in order to answer research questions regarding types of language learning
strategies used by English language majors.
Chapter 5 consists of the summary of main findings on which
conclusions are based, implications, limitations of the research and
suggestions for further studies.
6
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
The aim of chapter 2 is to review the literature relevant to this study.
The chapter contains an overview of language learning strategies, definitions,
different classifications of language learning strategies, and the most popular
classification, that of Oxford (1990). The recent findings of language learning
strategies - related research are also discussed in this chapter.
2.1. Language Learning Strategies
2.1.1. Definition of Language Learning Strategies
Language learning strategies have received a considerable concern since
early 1970s due to the crucial role they are playing in language learning.
When it comes to defining language learning strategies, “different researchers
use different terms and different concepts” (Oxford and Crookall, 1989, p.
414). Therefore, there are a variety of definitions for language learning
strategies that have been utilized by key figures within the field of second and
foreign language education. According to Hardan (2013), citing Rubin's
(1975) definition, learning strategies are the approaches or instruments that a
learner may use to gain knowledge. Rigeney (1978) later considers language
learning strategies as the conscious steps or behaviors used by language
learners to improve the acquisition, storage, retention, recall, and use of new
information. Oxford, Lavine, and Crookall (1989) have the same idea as
Rigeney (1978) concerning language learning strategies. They stated that
language learning strategies are employed to enhance and to facilitate
language acquisition. They described language learning strategies as “actions,
behaviors, steps, or techniques such as seeking out target language
7
conversation partners, or giving oneself encouragement to tackle a difficult
language task used by learners to enhance learning” (1989: 29).
As said by Hardan (2013), referencing Rubin's definition (1975),
language learning strategies are contributions to the development of the
language system that the learner creates. Additionally, he said that a language
learner's strategies for acquiring, storing, retrieving, and using knowledge
could include any collection of activities, phases, plans, or routines.
Zarei (2015) defines a language strategy as an attempt to develop
linguistic and sociolinguistic competence in the target language to incorporate
these into one's interlanguage competence - citing Taron's (1983) definition.
Richards, and Platt (1992) stated that learning strategies are deliberate actions
and mental processes employed by learners to better grasp, learn, or recall
new knowledge. The concept of learning strategies, as shown by Stern (1992),
is dependent on the assumption that “learners consciously engage in activities
to achieve certain goals, and learning strategies can be regarded as broadly
conceived intentional directions and learning techniques” (p. 261). Cohen
(1998) emphasized that learning strategies are processes that learners
consciously select and that may result in action taken to improve the learning
or use of a second or foreign language through the storage, preservation,
recall, and application of language information.
Chamot (1987), O'Malley and Chamot (1990), and Oxford (1990) have
also discussed language learning strategies. Language learning strategies,
according to Chamot (1987), are techniques or deliberate actions that students
take to facilitate the learning and recall of both linguistic and content area
information. She recommended that some language learning strategies are
visible, while others may not be. Similarly, O‟Malley and Chamot (1990)
viewed language learning strategies as “the special thoughts or behaviours of
8
processing information that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn,
or retain new information” (p. 1). They discovered that while strategies can
be used on purpose, they can also become habitual and mechanical with
practice. The following is a description of language learning strategies from
O'Malley et al. (1985). She claimed that there is no agreement on what
qualifies as a second language learning strategy or how these differ from other
kinds of learner activities. When talking about language learning, teaching
and communication strategies are frequently applied to the same behavior and
are connected. Furthermore, there is a lot of misunderstanding regarding what
constitutes a specific strategy as well as the hierarchical relationship between
strategies, even within the category of activities that is most frequently
referred to as learning strategies.
Oxford (1990) claimed that “learning strategies are steps taken by
students to enhance their own learning” (p. 1). She proposed a more specific
definition of learning strategies as “specific actions taken by the learner to
make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more
effective, and more transferable to new situations” (p. 8). She defined
learning strategies as a set of behaviors used by students to help them learn,
store, and retrieve information more effectively. Oxford (1990) also
considered learning strategies as the specific tactics used by an individual to
complete a learning task.
As can be seen, despite the fact that the concept of a learning strategy is
central to educational research, particularly second and foreign language
acquisition research, there is no general agreement on what a learning
strategy is or the nature of its impact on the learning process. According to
the above-mentioned definitions, I represent language learning strategies
from the perspectives conducted by Oxford‟s (1990) which are applied
9
widely in almost other researches. It is clear that Oxford‟s classification is
regarded as the most comprehensive classification and has been used by
many researchers. Particularly, there are six categories of direct and indirect
strategies. Direct strategies are defined as strategies involving mental
process and directly influencing the target language, while indirect strategies
are those supporting and managing language without directly involving the
target language.
2.1.2. Classification of Language Learning Strategies
Language learning strategies have been classified by many scholars. The
majority of their efforts to categorize language learning strategies, however,
reflect more or less the same categorization, without significant
modifications. Tarone's (1980), Rubin's (1987), O'Malley's (1985), Oxford's
(1990), and Stern's (1992) taxonomies of language acquisition strategies will
be discussed in this section. These authors‟ work in the field of language
learning strategies research has been fundamental for all subsequent studies,
and their classifications are still regarded as the most valid and influential
ones in SLA (Second Language Acquisition) research.
In previous studies on language learning strategies, some strategies other
than learning strategies were found as being applicable to second language
learning. For example, Tarone (1980, p. 419) suggested two kinds of
strategies: the “strategy of language use” and the “language learning
strategy”. Within the “strategy of language use”, she identified two types of
strategies: Communication strategies and Production strategies. Tarone (1980)
defined Communication strategy as “a mutual attempt of two interlocutors to
agree on a meaning in situations where requisite meaning structures do not
seem to be shared” (p. 419). She noticed language learning as an attempt to
develop linguistic and sociolinguistic competence in the target language.
10
Although her distinction between strategies makes sense as a classification
method, it is difficult to distinguish between the two in practice. However,
Tarone‟s (1980) classification is well-explained with a sound classification of
language learning strategies, which draws on the learner‟s purpose in using
strategies. Sometimes, however, a learner has more than one purpose in using
strategies, and, in such a case, it is very difficult to delineate these strategies.
O'Malley (1985) divided language learning strategies into three main
sub- categories: Metacognitive strategies, Cognitive strategies and Socioaffective strategies. Metacognitive strategies is a term to express executive
function, strategies which require planning for learning, thinking about the
learning process as it is taking place, monitoring of one's production or
comprehension, and evaluating learning after an activity is completed.
Cognitive strategies are more limited to specific learning tasks and they
involve more direct manipulation of the learning material itself. Repetition,
resourcing, translation, grouping, note taking, deduction, recombination,
imagery, auditory representation, key word, contextualization, elaboration,
transfer, inferencing are among the most important Cognitive strategies.
Socio-affective strategies can be stated that they are related with socialmediating activity and transacting with others.
Rubin (1987), who is pioneered in the field of strategies, makes the
distinction between strategies contributing directly to learning and those
contributing indirectly to learning. According to Rubin, there are three types
of strategies used by learners that contribute directly or indirectly to language
learning. These strategies are:
Learning Strategies
Communication Strategies
Social Strategies
11
Learning Strategies are of two main types, being the strategies
contributing directly to the development of the language system constructed
by the learner:
Cognitive Learning Strategies
Metacognitive Learning Strategies
Cognitive Learning Strategies refer to the steps or operations used in
learning or problem-solving that requires direct analysis, transformation, or
synthesis of learning materials. Rubin identified 6 main cognitive learning
strategies contributing directly to language learning:
Clarification / Verification
Guessing / Inductive Inferencing
Deductive Reasoning
Practice
Memorization
Monitoring
Metacognitive Learning Strategies, are used to oversee, regulate or selfdirect language learning. They involve various processes as planning,
prioritizing, seting goals, and self-management.
Communication Strategies are less directly related to language learning
since their focus is on the process of participating in a conversation and getting
meaning across or clarifying what the speaker intended. Communication
strategies are used by speakers when faced with some difficulty due to the fact
that their communication ends outrun their communication means or when
confronted with misunderstanding by a co-speaker.
Social strategies are those activities learners engage in which afford them
opportunities to be exposed to and practice their knowledge. Although these
12
strategies provide exposure to the target language, they contribute indirectly
to learning since they do not lead directly to the obtaining, storing, retrieving,
and using of language (Rubin and Wenden 1987:23-27).
According to Stern (1992), there are five main language learning
strategies. These are as follows:
Management and Planning Strategies
Cognitive Strategies
Communicative - Experiential Strategies
Interpersonal Strategies
Affective Strategies
Management and Planning Strategies are related with the learners
intention to direct his own learning. A learner can take charge of the
development of his own program when he is helped by a teacher whose role is
that of an adviser and resource person. That is to say that the learner must:
Decide what commitment to make to language learning set himself
reasonable goals
Decide on an appropriate methodology, select appropriate resources,
and monitor progress
Evaluate his achievement in the light of previously determined goals
and expectations
Cognitive Strategies are steps or operations used in learning or problem
solving that require direct analysis, transformation, or synthesis of learning
materials. In the following, some of the Cognitive strategies are exhibited:
Clarification / Verification
Guessing / Inductive inferencing
- Xem thêm -
.PDF 
91 
1 
79 
