Language Learning Strategies Employed by Non-English Majors at Nong Lam University, Vietnam

Abstract

Learning strategies have a strong effect on students’ success in foreign language learning. In fact, they are considered tools for active and self-directed engagement, which is vital for developing communicative competence. Language learning strategies also enable students to take responsibility for their own learning progress. This study was carried out to identify the preferred language learning strategies which are most frequently employed by non-English major students at Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The research was conducted with 725 undergraduate students with a descriptive quantitative method. The data was collected using a Vietnamese questionnaire adapted from Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) originally developed by Oxford (1990). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 software was used to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaire. The findings revealed that non-English majors used language learning strategies at a medium level of frequency. They didn’t equally use all 6 strategies in their learning, which probably impeded their progress of language learning. The most frequently used strategies by the learners were metacognitive strategies, followed by memory, affective, cognitive compensation and social strategies as the least preferred ones. Pedagogical recommendations for lecturers are also discussed in the paper.

Keywords

• Language learning strategies
• non- English major
• Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL)
• metacognitive strategies