5 Factors Affecting Language Learning Strategies

Introduction

• Every students have their own styles of learning in second languageor foreign language. And for every achievements in learning secondlanguage, there are factors affecting in learning of it.

• Some of the factors that give the most influence in Language Learning Strategies (LLS) are motivation, gender, culture background, attitude and beliefs, type of work and learning styles. (Oxford 1994)

• In addition, language skills (Park 1997), study background (Chamotat al. 1989, 1988; Oxford 1996), career options (Ehrman & Oxford1989), target language learning period (Oxford & Nyikos 1989),purpose in learning or status of target language (Park 1997;Wharton 2000) and ethnics (Mohamed Amin 1996; Osanai 2000) arevariables influencing options and consumption of LLS

F1 : MOTIVATION~Let your dreams fly~

~Motivation is deemed as a key to success in language learning

(Dornyei 1990; Gardner 1985; Nunan 1999)~

1) Definitions

• Motivation is defined as an effort done by students in secondlanguage learning comes from the desire and the needs tolearn it. (Ellis 1994a)

• Motivation is also defined as one’s level in working andstruggling to learn language because of desire to do so andexperience satisfaction while conducting those activities.

• Three main components from the definitions are focus strive,learning desire, and feeling of satisfaction with tasks whichare the important elements in evaluating stages and strengthof language learning motivation.

• Gardner and Lambert (1972) divided motivation into two types:

Integrative motivation : A student is said has an integrativemotivation or universal in languagelearning when he or she has a purposeto integrate him/herself into thatcommunity language and to getacquainted with country language thathe/she learned.

Instrumental motivation: Or concrete is when a student ismastering his/her second to achieveother purpose other than the purposein integrative motivation such as pass inexaminations, promotion in career life,enables them to read articles or otherreading materials in that language theylearned and many more.

• A motivated student will use much more strategies than a lessmotivated student. For an example, they will use formal rulesof communication strategies (analyzing words, comparingsecond language with tongue language and evaluate languagepattern), functional exercise (involve in target languageprograms and talking to self in target language), generallearning (avoid from remembering by memorizing), and inputprocurement conversation (asking for correction in pronounceand focusing to body language to collect information in aconversation). Oxford & Nyikos (1989)

F2 : SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS

~Family background accounts for more than half the difference to student achievement

Jencks and friends (1972)~

• The National Child Development Study (1972) (in Azizi el. At. 2005)reported, parents socioeconomic status is one of the variables thatinfluencing children ability in reading.

• Those who came from higher socioeconomic status groups were foundto have higher cognitive intelligence than students of lowsocioeconomic status.

• This is because their parents are capable in providing them withmaterials that trigger or stimulate intellectual activity of their childrensuch as reading, constructive games, a conducive study room and soon.

• On the other hand, parents from low socioeconomic status might havea low academic background and rarely give support, motivation andteach their children.

• To determine socioeconomic status, there are two elements are oftenreferred. Those are parents academic background and family income.

• Hence, LLS researchers often make these two elements as variables intheir findings.

• Parents Academic Background

Mohd Nazali (1999) and Mohd Nazali and friends (1999) found that there is a significant correlation between parents education level and overall consumption of strategies and by category. Students who their parents are highly educated often use much more LLS and out of class and exams strategies than other strategies groups.

• Family Income

It is say that parents who have a stable financial source are able to give support to their children acquisition language process.

Mohd Nazali (1999) and Mohd Nazali and friends (1999) conducted a search on 300 Form 4 students who study Bahasa Melayu in three schools in Kuala Langat, Selangor. This search found that there is a significant correlation between sum of family income and overall usage of LLS. Students from high-income families use more strategies than students from middle- and low-income families. Students from high-income families also use more out-of-class and exam-preparation strategies, followed by students from middle-income families and students from low-income families. For strategies in classroom, there is no significant correlation with families income.

Students from high-income families also consume more cognitive strategies, storage and metacognitive strategies than students from low-income families. (Mohamed Amin & Kamarul Shukri)

F3 : ETHNIC AND CULTURE

~Differences in cultural background and education system produce different strengths and weaknesses in students.

(Surtridge 1997)~

• A study shown that individuals within a particular ethnic and cultural group has a same pattern or way of study but it shows a difference when compared to other ethnic or cultural group. (Liu & Littlewood 1997)

• Even for Asian students in Western countries usually have stereotypical attitudes such as remain silent, reticent, and not urgent. This is due to their culture that emphasizes harmony and respect for the authoritative. They are uncomfortable with the attitude of individualism and competing attitudes which are parts of the culture in America. (Lin & Yi 1997)

• All related to ethnics and culture are making some students using an active learning methods while some are not.

• Reid (1987) found that students who came from various countries to learn English as second language have various learning style. This situation however are related and influence LLS options.

• There is also a study shown that there is no significant variation in using overall LLS according ethnics. However, in LLS categories, Indian students are found to use more classroom and out-of-class strategies compared to Malay and Chinese students.

F4 : RELIGION AND WORSHIP~The influence of religion and religious views form the language-

learning domain, which is capable of producing treatments and special thoughts to facilitate language learning~

• Language is part of culture, and culture is part language. Both of these are related to each other, and can not be separated. These two elements are getting stronger if related to religion. This fact is reinforced by the positive developments achieved by some of the language, which also has a big role in shaping the world. One of the language is Latin as god language by Greek community, or Sanskrit as language of Veda in Hindu. (Hisham al-Din 1406H)

• In learning of Arabic in Malaysia, this language is actually is not considered as second language or foreign language that need to learn. In fact, it is the “Quran language” and “religious language” that Muslim must study. This statement has been cleared by Quran itself. Allah SWT say in Surah Taha (20:113) :

“And thus We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an…”

F5 : AGE~We believed that a more mature and experienced student has

more contextual knowledge compared to 10 year old student~

• Ehrman and Oxfords’ study (1995) on 855 people (55% boys and 45% girls, 83% workers and 17% students) found that children use various of simple and easy strategies in completing tasks. Meanwhile for matured students are more flexible in using general and high-tech strategies. This shows that why matured students are more dedicated in learning grammar.