A Survey On Learning Strategies Of Spoken English--From The Perspective Of Non-English Majors

The importance of learning strategies in foreign language learning is drawing increasing attention at the present time. Although the international interest in language learning strategies has manifested itself in a proliferation of papers, books and conference presentations, a unanimous agreement on how to define the term of language learning strategy and how to classify learning strategies has never been reached. The early studies of foreign language learning strategies are mainly based on good learner study, and some learning strategies that are adopted by good language learners are drawn out from these early studies. Later, studies on less efficient language learners are also made. More recently, learning strategy trainings are conducted and now it is well acknowledged that using learning strategies appropriately and sufficiently may enable learners to become more efficient in learning a foreign language. These studies have greatly influenced language teaching. Through these studies, researchers and teachers have reached an agreement: the use and choice of language learning strategies is a decisive factor that influences the learning outcome. By studying language learners' learning strategies, enough information could be provided to teachers, thus both teaching and learning could be improved.The foreign findings have shed great light on English teaching in China too, and a lot of studies have been carried out among English-majors. Some similar results have been attained. However, although the majority of English learners in China are non-English majors, very few studies have been made among them on how they study English, especially on how they study spoken English.For a long period of time, English teaching to non-English majors has been centered around reading, writing, listening and translating. And the studies on how learners learn English are also focused on these aspects. English speaking has been neglected, which results in a strange phenomenon: a learner could read and write well, but he could not talk in English. But now, with the more frequent communications with foreign countries after China's entry into WTO, the need for proficient English speakers in many fields is ever increasing. The increasing need provides more opportunities for those who can speakEnglish fluently, which drives non-English majors to study spoken English for they want to have better opportunities. But the present situation of spoken English teaching is far from satisfying the needs both from the society and from the students. So to study non-English majors' learning strategies on spoken English is a better choice to get some hint on how they approach it and thus to offer some implications both on spoken English learning and on spoken English teaching. And this will be the starting point of this thesis.This thesis aims at finding out the ideas about spoken English and the learning strategies on it of the non-English majors in Wuhan University of Science and Technology. By adopting the methods of written questionnaire and weekly learning diaries, the writer has collected data and information. The data from the diaries is classified into two major groups: their ideas about spoken English learning and the strategies they use to learn it. And the data from the written questionnaire is divided into three parts: the students' past history of English learning, their ideas about spoken English learning and their learning strategies of spoken English. Both the strategies from the diaries and questionnaire are subdivided into categories according to Oxford's classification on language learning strategies. The information got from the data is analyzed and some conclusions are drawn from the analysis.It is found that limited vocabulary and the courage to speak English are the two greatest obstacles for students to speak English fluently. It is also found that non-English majors are better at using memory strategies and compensation strategies. The least often used strategies are affective strategies. By using the questionnai...