| In the field of second language acquisition, language learning strategies have been studied in traditional high school and college settings, where successful students report high use of metacognitive and cognitive strategies, while using few social strategies. Yet it is frequently noted that learning a second language is greatly enhanced through interaction with native speakers.; This study describes learning/language learning strategies in the setting of a Two-Way Bilingual Education program, where native English-speaking 4th grade students studied content area subjects alongside native Spanish-speaking peers. These strategies were examined during Spanish instructional time through interviews, observations, and think-alouds with 6 English-speaking students (4 girls and 2 boys; 3 successful and 3 less successful in acquiring Spanish).; The major question of how English-speaking students use learning strategies while acquiring Spanish led to the analysis of three major factors: (a) differences in strategy use between more and less successful students; (b) how individual differences relate to strategy use, and (c) what relationship exists between how the teacher models and facilitates strategies and how students use them.; Findings show higher use of metacognitive strategies by the more successful students, as well as higher use of social strategies in the category of giving as opposed to receiving help. Case studies of each subject show the individual differences that exist. A case study of the teacher shows how she sets up a collaborative classroom in which strategies are modeled and used and Spanish speakers are trained to be peer tutors. In this environment, the three categories of metacognitive, cognitive, and social strategies are melded together under an interactive social umbrella where they become socially mediated strategies. Both teacher and peer tutors take on the role of engaging second language learners within what Vygotsky calls the "zone of proximal development," which he thinks should lead to accelerated learning outcomes.; The Vygotskian model of language development within a social milieu is used as a base to build a theory of language development for students learning a second language in environments where interaction with native speakers is maximized. |
