Learner Strategies Employed By Chinese College Students In English Speaking: An Empirical Study

This study, based on a questionnaire survey of 638 subjects from different Chinese universities, which is supported by interviews and observations, describes the general features of strategy use in the learning of English speaking and in actual English speaking by Chinese college English learners. The study has found the generally preferred and ignored speaking strategies in the English speaking learning process and has discovered 7 types of strategy using styles and 5 clusters of strategy users during speaking English as a foreign language. Seven factors are found and they represent seven types of speaking strategy using. After a careful study of the seven factors, the researcher has created a new label for each of them: (1) self-controlling learners; (2) bold communicators; (3) concentrators; (4) guessing geniuses; (5) conscious learners; (6) prepared learners; and (7) error watchers. Then five clusters of different combinations of these seven factors are aggregated. They reflect specifically five styles of during-speaking strategy use so they are discussed for a thorough understanding of Chinese college students'use of English speaking strategies. The study has also discussed the possible correlations between English speaking strategy choice and some possibly influential language learning factors such as oral English proficiency, self-evaluation of oral English level, age, gender, and length of time spent on learning English speaking. The relationship between English speaking strategy use and oral English proficiency is studied and 9 strongly predicative strategies have been found. The study on the relationship between speaking strategy use and self-evaluation of oral English learning aptitude is significantly negative, and the relationships between oral English strategy use and length of time spent on English learning, gender and age are not correlated. The reliability of the research is carried out by a split-half reliability test, which indicates that the research is reliable. The reliability test result is also supported by the Cronbach's alpha.Analysis of the data collected can provide awareness for teachers and learners alike about what strategies are used most and what are used least by Chinese college students, and tentative suggestions for educators to include English speaking strategy training in oral English classrooms are made.This study is a small step forward in the understanding of foreign language learners'speaking strategies, for the description of Chinese college learners'English speaking strategy use can provide information not only about Chinese college students'patterns of using English speaking strategies, but also about the present situation of Chinese college teaching and learning of English speaking as a foreign language. It is the author's sincere hope that this study can serve as a reference for college English curriculum designers in China in the designing of curricula and teaching materials, and training teachers.