An Action Research On Middle School Students' English Learning Stratgies Use

Since the 1970's, western applied linguists and psychologists have begun to study the individual differences. Their research interest in EFL has shifted from teacher's teaching to students' learning and an increasing number of studies have been undertaken from the students' perspective. As a result, people realized the importance of studying the learning process gradually. Since English teaching intends not only to cultivate the learners' language competence, but also to make them strategic and autonomous learners, more and more people have begun to pay attention to learning strategies. In the early studies, the features of good language learners were identified. After that, linguists tried to discuss the concept, definition and classification of language learning strategies. And now, focus of research is turned to the validation, training models and methods of learning strategies training.According to their reports, it is easily found out that appropriate and sufficient learning strategies application may lead to a better result and enable the learners more successful in language learning. In China, scholars also did many researches on students' use of learning strategies and the relationship between strategies and the language achievements. However, most of the studies in China were concerned with English major students or students in higher institutions. Until now, little research has been done on students in middle schools.To find out how the students in senior schools know and use learning strategies, a learning strategies' questionnaire was administrated to 104 students in two classes of senior grade one taught by the author in Zhenchuan Middle School of Kunshan, Jiangsu. It is found from the collected data that they don't have strong strategic sense and sufficient strategies knowledge, and they often use learning strategies at will. In view of the above-mentioned facts, the author carried out an action research on middle school students' English learning strategy training according to the requirement of the new English curriculum standard of compulsory education. First, the author introduced general language learning strategies,...