The Relationship Of Language Learning Strategy And College English Test (Band 4) Achievements Of Non-English Majors

Many studies have been conducted to explore language-learning strategies (Rubin, 1975; Naiman et al. 1978; Fillmore, 1979; O'Malley et al, 1985 and 1990; Politzer and Groarty, 1985: Oxford. 1990 and Wen Qiufang. 1994). In this study a total of 87 second- year non-English majors in Tianshui Teachers College participated. The main purposes of the present study are, firstly, to identify and to develop insights into these subjects use of different language learning strategies, and secondly, to explore how close the relationship is between language learning strategies and their achievements on the College English Test (Band 4) for non-English majors. In other words, to what extent we can predict the achievements of CET (Band 4) in our sample from the use of language learning strategies.The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) will be used as the basis for the investigations. The SILL, developed by Oxford (1990), contains a recent and comprehensive list of language learning strategies. Through a detailed analysis of the use of strategies utilized by non-English majors, the study tried to find the characteristics of their use of language learning strategies. And the study used quantitative methods to examine the relationship of language learning strategies and the achievements on CET (Band 4) for non-English majors.The study found: First, The students' learning strategy use is moderate overall (mean 2.90) out of a possible top score of 5. The most frequently used category of strategies is metacognitive strategies (mean 3.14). a "generally true of me" rating. This is followed immediately by compensation strategies (e.g. guessing, paraphrasing) when encountering a knowledge barrier in the "sometimes true of me" range (mean 3.03). Affective strategies (mean 2.84), followed by memory (mean 2.71), and cognitive (mean 2.70) are all reported as "generally not true of me". Second, the uses of language learning strategies are positively co-varied with the students' achievements on CET (Band 4) for non-English majors. Third, regression analysis indicates that six group of strategies together can predict 53% variance in the score on CET (Band 4). The most powerful predictor of the strategies is metacognitive strategy that has the highest Beta value, i.e. .53. The second most powerful predictor is compensation strategy, with its Beta value being .30. Fourth, the results of the t-test showthat the high-achievers and the low-achievers showed a significant difference in the use of metacognitive strategies, compensation strategies and cognitive strategies. Implications for the classroom and future research are also discussed at the end of this thesis.