Empirical Study On Learning Strategies Instruction To College English Poor Learners

At the beginning of1970s, a standstill of foreign language teaching methodologyresearch and the rapid development of cognitive psychology promoted the focus of foreignlanguage teaching research turned from the study about how teachers “teach” to the studyabout how students “learn”. Under this background, the study of foreign language learningstrategies boarded the historical stage of foreign language teaching research impressively, andfrom then on, a world-wide study of foreign language learning strategies was held. In1984, athesis named “An investigation of learning strategies in oral communication that Chinese EFLlearners in China employ” was finished by Chinese scholar Huang Xiaohua in The ChineseUniversity of Hong Kong, it marked the study of English learning strategies started in China.For three decades, the study of English learning strategies has always been a popular researchsubject in the educational field in China, and scholars have got fruitful achievements with30years’ hard work. In numerous achievements, however, the revelant learning strategiesresearch achievement which related to college English poor learners are rare, and manyproblems need to be discussed and settled in the field of English learning strategies instructionto college English poor learners. So, with a title of “Empirical Study on Learning StrategiesInstruction to College English Poor Learners”, the dissertation took constructivism theory,humanistic theory and information processing theory as the theoretical foundation, using theexperimental methodology, literature research method, survey research method, interviewresearch method, classroom observation research method and other research methods, carriedout a one-year experimental study of learning strategies instruction to89college English poorlearners. On the basis of examining the necessity, feasibility and effectiveness of Englishlearning strategies instruction to college English poor learners, the dissertation aims to find aneffective way, provide a feasible program to solve the problem of English learning for collegeEnglish poor learners, and from the aspects of theory and practice to make a beneficialexploration to the reform of college English teaching in China.On the basis of drawing lessons from predecessors’ research achievements, thisdissertation not only constructed a model of English learning strategies instruction whichconsisted of eight steps, providing a clear implementation framework to strategies instruction,but also outlined an implementation path of strategies instruction, which takes thecombination of “in-class and after-class instruction, explicitly and implicitly instruction,group and individual instruction, seminar and classroom teaching instruction, groupcooperation and network assistant instruction” as main characteristics. The scientificity andfeasibility of strategies instruction model and implementation path was tested in an experimental study. On the horizontal and vertical two levels, the dissertation took the timeperspective of synchronic research and diachronic research as a breakthrough point, giving aquantitative and qualitative analysis to the effectiveness of learning strategies instruction,finally formed following nine research conclusions:1. College English poor learners’ using level of English learning strategies is general, butthey use all kinds of strategies widely.2. College English poor learners’ using level of English learning strategies issignificantly different from good learners’.3. English learning strategies instruction improved poor learners’ strategies using leveland English learning achievement effectively.4. English learning strategies instruction with topic lectures and theme activities hasgreat effectiveness.5. English learning strategies instruction with group cooperation and network has noeffectiveness.6. English learning strategies instruction based on college English classroom teachinghas significant effectiveness.7. English learning strategies instruction based on explanation or recommending oflearning strategies is feasible.8. Cognitive strategy is the one that has got the most explanatory power to English poorlearners’ English achievement variation.9. Teachers are the important factors that affect poor learners’ using level of Englishlearning strategies.Finally, the dissertation suggested college English teaching in China should actively havean exploration to the new English teaching model which based on strategies instruction, andhold the critical period firmly, when new students enrolled in college. And for someuniversities which have the abilities can have a try to construct a model of English learningstrategies instruction based on network platform. In addition, in view of teachers’ importantinfluence on students’ strategies consciousness and strategies using level, the dissertationstrongly recommended to get the English learning strategies knowledge into the curriculumsystem of English teachers’ pre-service instruction and post-career education, constructing ateaching staff who are all experts in English learning strategies. Finally, we hope more andmore experts and scholars can pay more attention to the English learning strategies study forpoor learners, and immediately act on a practical level.