PALDC-based Empirical Study On College Students' Language Learning Strategy Training

In the last twenty years educational circles have witnessed a dramatic shift from seeing computer as an adjunct or source of supplementary educational material to treating it as a platform where effective teaching/learning can be promoted. Multimedia classroom, Audio lab and Autonomous learning center were established successively by the colleges and universities. In 2008,a Provincial Autonomous Learning Demonstration Center was established by HUT, and the corresponding new teaching model has been thoroughly implemented. This new teaching model can be summarized as "Grading teaching+Autonomous learning in ALC guided by teachers+ Autonomous learning in extracurricular time+Extracurricular learning activities", in which the'Autonomous learning in ALC guided by teachers'is ongoing in the context of ALC.For this reason, it is necessary to conduct researches on the students'English learning in the context of ALC so as to improve their language proficiency. It is also necessary and of great significance for reality to conduct the learning strategy training in the context of Provincial Autonomous Learning Demonstration Center for the purpose of improving students'autonomous learning ability, enriching the teaching plans of'autonomous learning in ALC guided by teachers',and making effective use of ALC.What's more, no one has done a research on learning strategy training integrated with the context of ALC.In the present study a theory of DPDPEE Strategy Training Model is proposed by the researcher, which based on the language learning strategy theory integrated with the context of ALC.This study attempts to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of learning strategy training in the context of PALDC (Provincial Autonomous Learning Demonstration Center) based on the theory of DPDPEE strategy training model.We predict DPDPEE-based language learning strategy training would effectively promote students'language proficiency and autonomous learning ability. The success of this pilot study would provide valuable information on establishing and managing the ALC as well as how to make full use of the different functional districts.A total of 160 three-year college students enrolled in 2008 were chosen as the subjects of this experiment, including 80 students as the E.G (experimental group), and the other 80 as the C.G (control group).The group means and standard deviations of the subjects'language proficiency in College Entrance Examination and the first term final exam in both groups are pretty close.A ten months'DPDPEE-based learning strategy training was conducted in the context of PALDC of HUT for the E.G.,while the control group do not receive such training. Both groups were instructed by one teacher.Three instruments have been used in this research:questionnaire, final examination test and an interview. Data are analyzed using quantitative analysis as well as qualitative analysis in this study with the major findings as follows:(1)The E.G students has demonstrated superiority over the C.G students in post-test results after ten months'experiment, which shows that the experiment on DPDPEE-based LLST in ALC has proved to be effective and feasible;(2) The experimental group reports greater overall use of the six categories than the control group, which indicates that the DPDPEE-based LLST in ALC helps students promote their learning strategy use; A significant positive correlation is reported between students'learning strategies and their language proficiency; Some strategies have greater influence on college students'language proficiency, with sequence as Memory Strategies, Metacognitive Strategies and Cognitive Strategies;(3)Indirect strategies work best when used in combination with direct strategies.(4) The strategy of using resources for receiving and sending messages is important but easy to be promoted for students in the context of ALC.Students are used to receiving DPDPEE-based LLST in the context of ALC.(5) The substrategy of partially or totally avoiding communication has an advantage of keeping the learner emotionally protected, though goes against the aim of speaking as much and as often as possible.The study results show that it is effective and feasible to conduct the DPDPEE-based language learning strategy training in ALC.The strategy analyses of the subjects may help college English teachers gain some insight into language learning strategy training in the context of ALC.As a tentative exploration of college English teaching reform in ALC, this study provides a reference and valuable information for Chinese colleges and universities on establishing and managing the ALC.