The Impact Of The Length Approach On The Use Of Meta-cognitive Strategies For Chinese English Learners

The Length Approach has attracted much attention of second language researchers in China, and studies of its influence on Chinese English learning have generated interesting findings. This study investigated the impact of the Length Approach on the use of meta-cognitive strategies for Chinese English learners, by comparing learners'meta-cognitive strategy use before the Length Approach treatment with that after the treatment. The subjects selected were 40 English majors from two natural classes, with 20 subjects in the experimental group, and 20 in the control group. The English proficiency of the two groups was measured and results of t-test on subjects'English scores revealed no significant difference. Before the study, a strategy questionnaire was administered to elicit data concerning subjects'initial state of meta-cognitive strategy use. Results generated by t-test of the subjects'questionnaire data show that the two groups were similar both in general meta-cognitive strategy use and in each individual meta-cognitive strategy item. Sequentially, the subjects in the experimental group were exposed to the Length Approach for 15 weeks. After that, self-report method was used to investigate any changes in meta-cognitive strategy use. And qualitative analysis was adopted to deal with the data. The analysis reveals that the subjects of experimental group demonstrated a more frequent use of meta-cognitive strategies both on a whole and in most individual strategy items than those in the control group, and the Length Approach really triggers the use of these strategies. The data collected by subsequent interviews with two typical subjects in the experimental group and the subjects'teacher of English writing provide further evidence for these results. Therefore, the study shows that the Length Approach has positive impact on Chinese English learners'meta-cognitive strategy use.