A Study of Learning Strategies in Foreign Language Instruction: Findings of the Longitudinal Study
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 352 823 FL 020 850 AUTHOR Chamot, Anna Uhl; And Others TITLE A Study of Learning Strategies in Foreign Language Instruction: Findings of the Longitudinal Study. INSTITUTION Interstate Research Associates, Inc., Rosslyn, VA. SPONS AGENCY Office of International Education (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Mar 88 NOTE 237p.; For related documents, see FL 020 851-852. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) Information Analyses (070) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Academic Achievement; *Cognitive Processes; College Students; Comparative Analysis; Higher Education; High Schools; High School Students; Language Processing; *Learning Strategies; Longitudinal Studies; Metacognition; Russian; *Second Language Learning; Skill Development; Spanish; *Study Skills; Tables (Data); Teacher Effectiveness; Thinking Skills ABSTRACT Part of a larger research project, this longitudinal study analyzed differences between effective and ineffective high school and college language learners and changes in strategy uses over time. Related studies include a descriptive study, which identified learning strategies used in studying foreign languages, and a course development study, in which foreign language instructors teach their students to apply learning strategies. The longitudinal study was conducted during years 2 and 3 of the project with 55 high school students enrolled in Spanish and 25 college students enrolled in Russian. Findings to date indicate that effective students (50) and ineffective students (30) Spanish or Russian tend to use similar strategies to perform language tasks but that effective students are likely to use a wider range of strategies, as well as a greater number of strategies. Examples of metacognitive strategies include self-monitoring, self-evaluation, selective attention, problem identification, and planning; cognitive strategies include using resources, elaboration, note-taking, making inferences, summarizing, translation, deduction, and substitution. However, qualitative differences were found in the way that effective versus ineffective students applied learning strategies, with the effective learners appearing to use more "on-target" strategies and seeming to be more purposeful in their strategy use and in matching strategies to tasks. Appendices present samples of student workbook pages, tables of frequency of strategy use by Spanish students, and reading proficiency guidelines. Contains 41 references and 33 exhibits. (LB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** A STUDY OF LEARNING STRATEGIES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION: Findings of the Longitudinal Study by Anna Uhl Chamot Lisa Ktipper Maria V. Impink-Hernandez March 1988 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educationist Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) his document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it C Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Quality Points of new or opinions slated in this docu- ment do not necessarily represent officiet 0ERI Posthon or policy This study is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, International Research and Studies Program in Washington, D.C.The views, opinions, and findings contained in this report are those of the authors and shouldnot be construed as an official Department of Education position,policy, or decision unless so designated by other official documentation. 0 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Irani.= as asamvirsacTo Page CHAPTER 1:Introduction and Literature Review I-1 Introduction I-1 Research on Learning Strategies 1-2 Second Language Acquisition Theory 1-6 CHAPTER II:Methodology of the Longitudinal Study II-1 Overview II-1 Subjects 11-2 Instruments 11-5 The Spanish Instruments 11-5 Spanish Proficiency Tests 11-5 Spanish Interviewer Guide and Student Workbooks 11-6 The Russian Instruments 11-7 Russian Reading Proficiency Tests 11-7 Russian Interviewer Guides and Student Workbooks 11-9 Procedures II-10 Student Training II-10 Data Collection Sessions II-11 Data Analysis Plan 11-12 Categories of Analysis: Learning Strategiesand Their Definitions 11-19 MIKUMDZatiVLatraitaia Planning 11-19 Directed Attention 11-20 Selective Attention 11-21 Self-management 11-21 Self-monitoring 11-21 Problem Identification 11-22 Self-evaluation 11-22 CtIgnitive Strategies Repetition 11-23 Rehearsal 11-24 Resourcing 11-24 Grouping 11-24 Note-taking 4-/ 11-24 Table of Contents (continued) Page Cognitive Strategies (continued) Deduction 11-25 Substitution 11-25 Contextualization 11-25 Elaboration 11-25 Summarization 11-27 Translation 11-28 Transfer 11-29 Inferencing 11-29 Social/Affective Strategies Questioning for Clarification 11-29 Self-talk 11-30 CHAPTER III:Results of the Longitudinal Study III-1 A.Results from Analyses of Russian Longitudinal Data 111-2 Categories for Comparing Students 111-2 Findings from Partial Analyses of the Data Collected from Students of Russian Findings from Grammar Tasks Findings from Listening Tasks Findings from Comparing Grammar and Listening Tasks 111-13 Findings from Writing Tasks 111-16 Longitudinal Results: Spring 1986 and 1987 Writing 111-22 Summary Discussion of Russian Data 111-24 B. Results of the Spanish Think Aloud Data, Spring 1986 111-28 Effectiveness of Students 111-28 Criteria for Selection of Data to be Analyzed 111-31 Spanish 1 Results: Spring 1986 111-32 Vocabulary Fill-in-the-Blank: The Family Tree 111-35 Writing about the Family Tree 111-36 Reading and Grammar Cloze 111-40 Summary of Spanish 1 Spring 1986 Results 111-45 Table of Contents Page Spanish 3 Results: Spring 1986 111-47 Strategy Use:Metacognitive, Cognitive, and Social/Affective 111-47 Listening 111-49 Writing 111-56 Organizational Planning 111-58 Self-monitoring 111-61 Self-evaluation 111-63 Deduction 111-64 Substitution 111-65 Reading and Grammar Cloze 111-66 Self-monitoring 111-66 Self -evaluation 111-67 Elaboration 111-68 Summary of Spanish 3, Spring 1986 Results 111-70 Spanish 5 Results: Spring 1986 111-72 Strategy Use: Metacognitive, Cognitive, and Social/Affective 111-72 Writing 111-74 Reading and Grammar Cloze 111-80 Selective Attention 111-82 Self-monitoring 111-82 Self-evaluation 111-83 Translation 111-84 Elaboration 111-85 Inferencing 111-86 C. Longitudinal Comparisons with Spanish Students: Spring 1986 - Spring 1987 111-88 Effectiveness of Students 111-88 Longitudinal Comparisons: Some Considerations 111-91 Terminology Used in This Section 111-93 Table of Contents (continued) Page Spanish 1/2 Longitudinal Results 111-94 Writing 111-94 Planning 111-102 Self-monitoring 111-103 Elaboration 111-105 Reading and Grammar Cloze 111-106 Spanish 3/4 Longitudinal Results III-111 Listening 111-111 Writing 111-118 Spanish 5/6 Longitudinal Results 111-125 Writing 111-125 Reading/Grammar Cloze 111-137 D. Summary and Conclusions 111-145 The Next Steps in the Study 111-152 References 111-153 APPENDICES A ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for Reading B Tables of Frequency of All Strategy Use by Spanish 1 Students in Spring 1986: Vocabulary, Writing, and Reading/Grammar Close C Spanish 1, Spring 1986 Student Workbook Pages: Vocabulary (The Family Tree) and Reading/Grammar Cloze (A Typical Day For Juan and Rosa) D Spanish 3, Spring 1986 Student Workbook Pages: Listening (Francisco Ramirez Velasco, minero), Writing (A Busy Intersection), and Reading/Grammar Cloze (Un Viaje a Madrid) E Tables of Frequency of All Strategy Use by Spanish 3 Students in Spring 1986:Listening, Writing, and Reading/Grammar Cloze G Table of Contents (continued) Aug= (continued) F Spanish 5, Spring 1986 Student Workbook Pages: Reading/Grammar Cloze (Los desaparecidos) G Tables of Frequency of All Strategy Use by Spanish 5 Students in Spring 1986: Reading/Grammar Cloze H Spanish 4, Spring 1987 Student Workbook Pages: Listening (Prohibido Fumar en el Tranvia), and Writing (A Crowded Hotel Lobby) LIST OF EIIIIIIITO Exhibit Title of Exhibit Page Percentage of Available Effective and Ineffective 11-3 Students of Spanish and Russian Participating in Spring 1986 Think Aloud Sessions 11-2 Number of Effective and Ineffective Students 11-4 Completing Think Aloud Sessions in Spring 1986 and Spring 1987 11-3 Spring 1986 Thin Aloud Activities That Were 11-14 Analyzed 11-4 Method of Coding Student Think Aloud Transcripts 11-18 III-1 Spring 1986 Grammar Tasks: Dehydrated Sentences 111-5 Mean Uses of Strategies, More Effective Versus Less Effective First Year Students of Russian 111-2 Spring 1986 Listening Tasks, Mean Uses of Strategies, 111-9 More Effective Versus Less Effective First Year Students of Russian 111-3 Summary of Strategy Usage for Grammar and 111-14 Listening Tasks of Varying Levels of Difficulty: More Effective Versus Less Effective First Year Students of Russian 111-4A Summary of Strategy Usage for Writing Task: 111-18 Comparison of More Effective, Less Effective, and Ineffective First Year Students of Russian Writing Strategies Summary (continued) 111-20 Spring 1986 Planning and Writing Data for 111-21 Selected Students of Russian 111-6 Summary of Strategy Usage for Writing Task: 111-23 Comparison of Spring 1986 and Spring 1987 Data for Two Students of Russian 111-7 Mean and Standard Deviation of Effective and 111-30 Ineffective Spanish Students on the Spanish Proficiency Test (Spring 1986, Form A) 111-8 Number of Effective and Ineffective Spanish