A Study On The Good Language Learners At Senior High School

This thesis attempts to explore the good language learners (short for GLL) at senior high school. Based on Socio-educational model and individual learner variables, the author attempts to investigate reasons why GLL achieve better than others from the following three categories:learning strategy, learning style, learners’personal factors. From the three aspects, the thesis intends to investigate the similarities and discrepancy among good English learners. The main research questions are discussed as follows:(1) what elements make for a good English learner at senior high school?(2) To what extent do learning strategy and learning style relate with their high achievement?(3) To what extent do their personal factors relate with their high achievement?The study adopts two questionnaires in two classes as well as a case study to10students which chosen form the two classes in order to give detail accounts by face to face interviews.(The samples are students from class14and class15Grade2from Yangzhou high school, and according to the test scores and teacher’s recommendation,10students are selected as samples "good language learners"). The core aim of this research is to find factors which affect the efficiency of English learning especially factors accelerate the achievement of good English learners. The research gives us the following findings:Firstly, the factors which effect good language learners can be divided into three parts:learning strategies, learning styles, personal factors.The differences between learning strategies as well as the individual differences of learners, including learning content will have impacts on learning results. This effect is complex and special for each individual learner. So a one-sided definition of good language learners’learning strategy is not appropriate. But it can be determined that good language learners frequently use a large number of language learning strategies, or activities consciously chosen for the purpose of regulating their own language learning. The learning strategy is not good or bad. The point is how to use these strategies. There are some indications from the research literature that good language learners may be, for instance, more field independent in their learning style. This means that good language learners are better able to manage contextual variables than poorer language learners. However, the difference between the learning styles of all language learners is not evidence. This may be due to the singularity of the traditional teaching methods. And learning styles are moderately strong habits rather than intractable biological attributes, and thus they can be modified and extended.The individual factors include motivation, personality, ambition, family background and so on. The good language learners’success factors are:(1) motivation emanates from the learners, rather than be externally regulated by the teacher, and learners can see themselves as agents of the processes that shape their motivation.(2) Good language learners tend to have introverted personalities, a finding which runs contrary to much of the literature, and even to pedagogical intuition. The author thinks this is due to the good language learners requires precise thinking and a strong self-regulation. There is a close relationship between family background and English learning. The individual effort is the most important.Secondly, the correlations of good language learners and each factor are different. Learning strategies play a crucial role to develop good language learners. Learning styles and personal factors have a certain influence on good language learners, but not the decisive factors. There is a close relationship between family background and English learning.The findings yielded in this study have great significance. From the theoretical perspective, they will offer some insights into the study on significant role of students. From the pedagogical perspective, they are illuminating for students’self-analysis and self-reflection. On the other hand, it also provides guidance for teachers to realize the elements which cause effective learning and benefits teachers to make full use of resources to inspire students’potentialities.