An exploratory study on the use of language learning strategies by students at ULIS southern new hampshire university (USA) joint bachelor program

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

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.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111

HANOI – 2016

Số thứ tự:……

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.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111

Supervisor : Dr Ngu n Th Ngọc Quỳnh

HANOI – 2016

Số thứ tự:……

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

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

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

LIST OF TABLES vii

CHAP 1: INTRODUCTION vii

1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale for the study 1

1.2 Aim of the study 2

1.3 Scope of the study 2

1.4 Research methodology 3

1.5 Organization of the study 3

CHAP 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) 4

2.1.1 Definition of learning strategies 4

2.1.2 Classification of language learning strategies 5

2.2 Variables that Influence the Selection of Language Learning Strategies 6

2.2.1 Gender 6

2.2.2 Motivation 8

2.2.3 Prior Experience of the Language Learning 11

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 14

3.1 Setting 14

3.2 Participants 14

3.3 Data collection instruments and procedures 15

3.3.1 Questionnaire 15

3.3.1.2 Reliability of the questionnaire 16

3.3.2 Narratives 18

3.4 Data analysis 19

CHAP 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 21

4.1 Students‟ demographic information 21

4.2 The Influence of Gender on the use of LLSs 23

4.3 The Influence of Motivation on the use of LLSs 24

4.4 The Influence of Experience in English Language Learning on the use of LLSs 25

CHAP 5: CONCLUSION 28

5.1 Summary of major findings 28

5.2 Limitations 29

5.3 Implications for language teaching and learning 29

5.4 Recommendations for Future Research 30

REFERENCES 32 APPENDIX I

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

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

CHAP 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 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

1.2 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?

1.3 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

1.4 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

1.5 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

CHAP 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Language Learning Strategies (LLSs)

2.1.1 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.18)

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

2.1.2 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 Oxford‟s framework (1990) 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.37)

 Memory strategies are the methods particularly customized in

order to support learners so that they can become able to store fresh data in the memory and recover the data when needed at a later period (Magogwe & Oliver, 2007)

 Cognitive strategies consist of the abilities which permit the

learners to approach, appreciate and create dialect or the targeted language by various diverse means

 Compensation strategies refer to the collection of practices or

behavioral characteristics that are utilized in order to compensate

as well as to support the learners so that they can easily and comprehensively utilize the targeted language

On the other hand, indirect strategies are those techniques which

“support and manage language learning without (in many instances) directly involving the target language” (Oxford, 1990, p.135) Indirect strategies can also be divided into three distinctive forms namely meta-cognitive strategies, affective strategies, and social strategies

 Meta-cognitive strategies include those behavioral characteristics

that are utilized in order to make organization, preparation, systematic planning, and assessment of the learning progress of a learner (Rahimi & Katal, 2012)

 Affective strategies comprise of the methods which are utilized in

the process of regulating the behavioral characteristics associated with the aspects of emotion and motivational dimension

provide helping systems to a learner in order to make him or her more capable of more comprehensively and adequately interacting with other people during the entire duration or system

of the acquisition of the targeted language (Akyol, 2013)

2.2 Variables that Influence the Selection of Language Learning Strategies

2.2.1 Gender

It has been clarified through the findings of various research that among a few elements or influencing variables, for example, motivation, age, standard of proficiency, prior knowledge or experience and many others, the aspect of gender has been considered to be extensively examined in regards to the impact of the variables on the learning of a second or foreign language

(e.g Goh & Foong, 1997; Gu, 2002; Chamot & Keatley, 2004; Hong-Nam & Leavell, 2006)

It should be noted that various studies have reported that female learners demonstrated essentially more use of learning techniques than male learners (e.g Goh & Foong, 1997; Green & Oxford, 1995; Gu, 2002; Hakan, Aydin, & Bulent, 2015) A number of studies have built up the presence of gender difference to be a critical factor in the utilization of LLSs (e.g Ehrman

& Oxford, 1995; Peacock & Ho, 2003; Xue, 2015) Ehrman and Oxford (1995) studied both language learners and teachers in an exploratory study of gender influence on the use of LLSs by adult learners and found out that female learners accounted for more strategy use than their male counterparts, especially in the application of Social strategies Recently, Xue (2015) examined the impacts of gender on the selection of language learning strategies by 102 Chinese ESL (English for a second language) students in a British university Female students in that study reported more frequent use of LLSs than male, particularly Cognitive, Meta-cognitive and Social strategies

On the contrary, numerous studies revealed that male learners were the one used language learning strategies with greater frequency than females For example, Wharton (2000) conducted a research of nearly 700 students in Singapore learning Japanese and French as foreign languages regarding their language learning strategies and affective factors That study indicated factors influence students‟ language learning including age, motivation, cultural background, language studied, learning style, prior language learning experience, language learning goals and types, numbers and frequency use of LLSs More specifically, with regards to difference in gender, the results of the research work demonstrated that male learners showed a tendency to

employ more use of LLSs both in terms of quantities of strategies and frequency of strategies use This finding confirmed Tran‟s (1988) observation

of Vietnamese refugees that male learners tend to use a greater number of LLSs than their female counterparts

On the other hand, other studies of various national backgrounds indicated that the aspect of gender might not be one of the main factors that influence the choice of students‟ language learning strategies For example,

Griffiths (2003) used Oxford‟s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning

(SILL) to study the relationship between strategy use and course level of 348 learners Despite this relationship was found, there was proved to be little or

no effect of gender and age on the choice of LLSs Nisbet et al (2005) investigated the relationship between LLSs preferences and English proficiency among 168 Chinese university students to find out that there were

no significant differences between male and female groups in terms of strategy preferences and language proficiency

Despite numerous studies have examined the relationship between language learning strategies of ESL learners and gender difference, this correlation is not explicit as previous studies revealed conflicting results Under the light of this fact, it is highly recommended that experts should conduct more research to determine the effect of the aspect of gender on the utilization of language learning strategies

2.2.2 Motivation

In language learning strategies research, studies on the relationship between language learning strategies and affective factors such as motivation have expanded to a huge extent Gardner (1985) asserted that motivation and attitudes are the primary factors affecting individual language learning Four

components of motivation were described including a goal, effort, want and attitudes toward language learning

One popular classification of motivation divides two different types namely integrative motivation and instrumental motivation (Ungureanu & Georgescu, 2012) The first type of motivation refers to learners‟ desire to integrate themselves into cultures and societies of English speaking countries (Wong & Nunan, 2011) Motivation of instrumental orientation; whereas, deals with learners‟ personal practical goals such as successful in certain examinations or achieving a certain work position It was inferred that both the instrumental and the integrative aspects, prompt to a higher level of expertise or capacity However, the integrative aspect inspired and enhanced the learners to acquire the targeted language more easily and expertly (Gardner and MacIntyre, 1993)

For the most part, the aspect of the motivation should be considered as

a matter which discloses the reasons behind why individuals choose to accomplish a specific thing, to what extent individuals have a will to maintain various activities and how much effort they would put in such activities to achieve their goals (Dörnyei, 2001) Accordingly, a number of research works demonstrated that students occupied with a great level of inspiration or motivational orientation during the process of acquiring a language would probably utilize a variety of effective strategies or procedures (Oxford and Nyikos, 1989) In this way, as far as the acquisition of the language is concerned, the level of the accomplishment may be considered as one of the most important components of motivation because this aspect can prompt to and bolster every kind of exercises or tasks

As the aspect of motivation is regarded as an essential component contributing to the success of language learning, researchers have paid a lot of attention to learners‟ challenges in the teaching and learning environments

As a result, a lot of effort has been made to investigate the relationship between the aspect of motivation and language learning strategies According

to Pintrich and Schunk‟s study (2002), motivation has an influence on forming new attitudes to the learning process as well as affects how prior learned behaviors are performed Mochizuki (1999) conducted a study on 157 Japanese students of at a state-run university in Japan to investigate the kinds

of language learning strategies used by Japanese students, factors affecting the choices of language learning strategies, as well as the reliability of the learner's self-evaluation of English proficiency With data collected from the use of Oxford‟s 80 item Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and the results from Japanese Second Grade Test of the Society of Testing English Proficiency (STEP), the researcher found out that Compensation strategies were used with the highest frequency and Affective strategies were used with the lowest frequency among Japanese students The research also indicated that among several factors that affected Japanese students‟ choice of strategies such as major, motivation, enjoyment of English learning and gender, the aspect of motivation accounted for the most important factor

Another study also in the Japanese context examined the relationship between learners‟ personal factors and their choices of language learning strategies (Tamada, 1996) Results indicate that with regards to motivation, center learning and evaluating learning strategies affected learning strategy use The research also revealed that among different learners‟ personal factors, while learners‟ major, personality and proficiency did not influence the choices of learning strategies, gender, integrative motivation and

instrumental motivation had significant effect It is also noteworthy that another factor affecting selections of Japanese students‟ language learning strategies found out in this study was experiences of both studying and living abroad

Nevertheless, it should be noted that the aspect of motivation in the Japanese context is somewhat specific while focusing on integrative motivation such as learners‟ want to travel abroad and make international friends According to Irie (2003) and Yashima (2000), the primary focus is not on instrumental elements such as grades at school or future job positions

As there is still little research on motivation and language learning strategies

in the Vietnamese context, further research in this area is needed

2.2.3 Prior Experience of Language Learning

The aspect of having prior experience of language learning is likewise considered as one of the most important variables and it has also been asserted that this variable may influence the selection of LLSs (Gerami & Baighlou, 2011) Notwithstanding, there is not a huge base of research works that have been conducted in order to examine the relationship between prior experience of English learning and the utilization of LLSs

One study extensively investigated the procedures of LLSs utilization developed by those children who were not only eligible for going to schools but also had the capability to speak in two different languages (Purdie and Oliver, 1999) These children mainly originated from three distinctive major orientations of cultures namely the Asians (this group mainly consisted of those children who could speak in the native tongue of Vietnam or China), the Europeans (this group did not only consist of those children who were able to speak in the native language of Greece but also had some individuals who

could speak the native language of Macedonia), and the final group which consisted of those people who could speak in the native language of Arab The outcomes of the research demonstrated that the learners who stayed in Australia for a considerable duration succeeded to essentially achieve greater mean values associated with Cognitive strategies as well as Memory techniques The results of the research, subsequently, show that having prior experience of language learning may have an immense influence on the selection or preference of LLSs

The above-mentioned study significantly points out the significance of having prior experience of language learning as one of those key components that have a considerable influence on the selections of LLSs The results obtained by the above-mentioned research additionally supported the findings

of a study conducted in 1990 by the group of three well-known researchers namely Opper, Teichler, and Carlson This study concentrated on the aspect

of having an experience regarding learning through collaborative projects with foreign settings within Europe as well as the USA The outcomes of that study demonstrated that learning in foreign settings should be considered to have a significant level of impact on students‟ thought and learning style, particularly regarding learners‟ capacity to acquire a language in a comprehensive manner (Opper, Teichler, and Carlson, 1990) The study also hinted that various other affective factors on learners such as academic level, foreign language proficiency, cultural background, attitude and view changes were likewise demonstrated as the components that have contribution in the selection of LLSs The results of the study are consistent with the findings generated by Oxford through a research work conducted in 1996 Oxford‟ study revealed that one had to consider several different variables including cultural background and nationality that may produce a significant level of

impact on the choice of LLSs Be that as it may, investigating the impacts of studying or staying in a foreign country to language learning strategies, the researchers have figured out the importance of having prior experience of language learning to the selection of LLSs (Lavasani & Faryadres, 2011)

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Setting

The subjects of this study are students enrolled in the joint bachelor program majoring in Economics – Finance between University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (ULIS) and Southern New Hampshire University, USA (SNHU) The format of the program is that the first two year major courses are delivered by ULIS both in Vietnamese and English language In addition to the SNHU modeled curriculum for Economics – Finance major, during these first two years, students get additional training in English to ensure their English proficiency for the second two years Upon completion of the first two years, students will

be admitted to the second two years which is a full SNHU program totally delivered in English only when meeting an academic GPA of 2.0 and English proficiency equivalent to 530 TOEFL ITP/ 71 TOEFL IBT or 6.0 IELTS

3.2 Participants

The questionnaire and guided narrative used in this study was sent to

206 students currently enrolled in the program To ensure rich information, the researcher chose participants from all current classes (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors) 144 students of all those classes returned their responses completed fully so this is the exact number of the participants

By the time of this study, all participants had received a minimum of 3 years

of English as a foreign language as a compulsory subject at high school and at least 5 months of intensive English training at university Their English proficiency ranges from Elementary to Advanced level

3.3 Data collection instruments and procedures

This study uses a mixed-method approach Data were collected from a standardized Likert-scale based questionnaire and guided narratives As suggested by Griffiths and İnceçay (2016), “a mixed-method approach can contribute to a fuller understanding of the strategy phenomenon by approaching it from different perspectives.” (p 34)

3.3.1 Questionnaire

3.3.1.1 Description of the questionnaire

With a view to measure learning strategy preferences of students of the

ULIS-SNHU program, the researcher used Oxford‟s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) version 7.0 (1989) The SILL, which has been

developed with various versions from 1986, is a summative rating scale designed to assess the frequency of use of language learning strategies by learners of English as a foreign language

The SILL consists of 50 items with six categories measuring six types

of learning strategies: memory strategies (9 items), cognitive strategies (14 items), compensation strategies (6 items), metacognitive strategies (9 items), affective strategies (6 items), and social strategies (6 items) Each part consists of statements about strategies used by language learners such as “I say or write new words in English several times” or “I look for words in my own language that are similar to new words in English several times” with a

5-point Likert type scale: (1) Never or almost never true of me; (2) Usually not true of me; (3) Somewhat true of me; (4) Usually true of me; (5) Always

or almost always true of me

Oxford (1990) has also offered the instruction to compute and interpret the scores following the 50 strategy descriptions The frequency of use of LLSs can be grouped into three levels based on the overall averages from the results: high frequency (3.5–5.0), medium frequency (2.5–3.4), and low frequency (1.0–2.4)

3.3.1.2 Reliability of the questionnaire

The researcher chose the SILL questionnaire as the primary data collection for the study firstly because the usefulness of a self-report questionnaire McDonough (1997, p 171) asserted that this type of questionnaire can afford a good deal of precision and clarity as the knowledge needed is controlled by the questions Particularly, when discussing advantages of strategy questionnaires such as SILL, Oxford (1992, p.33, cited

in Griffiths 2003, p.56) considered them as “the most cost-effective mode of strategy assessment, and are almost completely non-threatening when administered using paper and pencil (or computer) under conditions of confidentiality.” In fact, this assessment tool, SILL, is currently recognized as the most comprehensive and widely used instrument for identifying strategy preferences of language learners throughout the world with the reliability level ranging from 93 to 98 (Green & Oxford, 1995)

3.3.1.3 Questionnaire procedure

The SILL questionnaire was not translated into Vietnamese to avoid unexpected misunderstanding, especially possible misinterpretation of technical terms In addition, despite the diversity of English proficiency levels, the respondents were expected to be proficient enough to understand the strategy statements