The impact of extroversion/introversion and associated learner strategies on English language comprehension in a Japanese EFL setting

This study was prompted by a question about individual differences among learners of English. I focused on learners' extroversion and introversion, to test my hypothesis that personality type is a key factor among Japanese people learning English in Japan. The three specific questions I explored in this research were: (1) What are the characteristic learner strategies of Japanese college students? (2) What are the characteristic learner strategies of extroverts (Es) and introverts (Is)? and (3) Do extroversion and introversion have an impact on English listening proficiency?;This study pointed to the following results: (1) Japanese college students used communication and socio-affective strategies most often; (2) Es had the perception that they were using socio-affective strategies more frequently than were Is; (3) In the teacher-fronted phase in the classroom, neither the E nor the I students used socio-affective strategies; (4) In the group activities in the classroom, Es used socio-affective strategies more often to elicit more information from the instructor than did Is; (5) In the individual learning situation, while E (Miki) was more assertive in eliciting information from a native English speaker, I (Yuri) was more skillful in listening to the tape; and (6) The impact of E/I on listening proficiency in English could not be confirmed.;The pedagogical implications of this study are that because Es' and Is' learner strategies differ, teachers need to be aware of these differences and introduce various types of activities so that both Es and Is can study appropriately and effectively.;In the questionnaire phase of the study, I investigated the characteristics of 148 Japanese college students using four research instruments: the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality questionnaire, and the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the Comprehensive English Language Test (CELT) listening proficiency tests. I triangulated the results via observation of student strategy use in the classroom and in an individual learning situation. For both learning situations, a special focus was placed on observing and interviewing the most extroverted student (Miki) and the most introverted student (Yuri) regarding their use of learner strategies.