An Investigation Into The Influence Of Language Learning Strategy Preference On The L2 Language Attrition Amongst Chinese Senior High School Students

Language attrition is the inverse facet of language acquisition.It focuses on the problem of language loss.In china,Language attrition should be highly valued because most Chinese students' ESL proficiency starts to "dwindles away" as soon as they stop their English training.Language learning should contain both language acquisition and language maintenance to make sure that the great effort exerting on English education keeps efficiency.The present research is designed to investigate into the influence of language learning strategy preference on the second language attrition amongst Chinese senior high school students.That is,it takes language learning strategy as a predict variable of language attrition.The research is carried out among 122 first year students in Jilin Business and Technology College.It contains two steps.The initial step is designed to collect the students' English scores in National College Entrance Exam in June,2008 and to investigate the students' learning strategy preference by a questionnaire entitled Inventory of Language Learning Strategies(ILLS).In the second step,students are tested again with a simulation College Entrance English Exam paper.The subjects who show decrease in scores in the simulation test are the suitable ones for this study. Finally,the SPSS 13.0 is applied to analyze the statistics.With the data analysis and discussion,there are some findings:1) 65%of the subjects in this research suffered language attrition after the first four months' language non-use.2) The language proficiency prior to language attrition and the language attrition degree are inversely correlated.3) Low language attrition subjects employ strategies more frequently than high attrition ones.There is great difference between the subjects of different language attrition degree,especially in the use of memory strategy,compensation strategy and cognitive strategy,social strategy.4) There are 21 strategy items significantly correlated with language attrition degree. Memory strategy and metacognitive strategy are two typical significant categories correlated with attrition degree.The result of the study is expected to help the students realize different learning strategy preferences result in different language attrition degrees.Then the paper gives the students and teachers some suggestions on language proficiency maintenance from the point of learning strategy preference.