A Brief Study Of The Influence Of Individual Differences On College English Learning

Since 1960s, the research focus of applied linguistics in the west has shifted from teachers' teaching to students' learning. Learner factors have attracted language researchers' and teachers' attention. Individual differences and learning process are valued highly and studied frequently. As the indispensable components of individual differences, language learning motivation, learners' personality and learning strategies are proved to influence both learning behavior and learning achievements by relevant studies. Based on the previous studies, questionnaires are designed to investigate whether learning motivation and learners' personality have influence on non-English majors' learning effects. Meanwhile, non-English majors' English learning strategies are addressed in this thesis.The non-English majors are quite practical and realistic in terms of their purpose of English learning since most of them use English as a means of obtaining chances for future life. Most of non-English majors possess instrumental motivations. They learn English in order to get more certificates. Some suggestions are proposed in this thesis to stimulate the non-English majors' motivation of English learning, including the stimulation of students' interest in English, suitable instructional materials and proper teaching techniques, dynamic and varied learning environment, a good relationship between teachers and students, students' attitudes towards their failure or success, development of learner autonomy.Personality is also an important variable in English learning for the non-English majors. The uniqueness of individual learners influences the way they think, behave and learn. Compared to introverts, extroverts are more eager to communicate and to share their ideas with others, which stand them in more favorable conditions when learning a foreign language. However, the introverts tend to seek academic achievement in their nature, which forces them to pursue a learning task with great efforts, thus facilitate learning dramatically, for learning is a process that requires much hard work. Since both extroverts and introverts have their respective advantages on second language learning, extroverts' friendliness, activity and apparent confidence in oral communication and introverts' self-control, carefulness and reflectiveness, it may be strategically useful to cultivate and encourage those excellent aspects of extroverts and introverts, if we wish to improve students' overall language proficiency.Non-English majors seldom employ deep processing strategies. They use cognitive strategies most frequently. Most students think to learn English is just to memorize the words or the grammar rules mechanically. The ability to summarize and systematize knowledge still needs to be improved. Actually, management of learning is of great importance to the whole process of English learning. Metacognitive strategies have been demonstrated to be the strongest predictors to English achievement. Therefore, students' use of metacognitive strategies such as paying attention, linking with already familiar materials, organizing, setting goals and objectives, considering the purpose, self-monitoring, self-evaluating, and planning for a language task should be further strengthened.