A Study On English Majors' Learning Strategies Under Content-based Instruction At The Fundamental Stage

This thesis presents a study on the actual application of CBI to the teaching of English majors at the fundamental stage with a focus on English majors'use of learning strategies (LS) under CBI.This study investigated the students'use of LS in the experimental classes with special attention to top students and bottom students. It analyzed the most frequently used strategies (MFS) and least frequently used strategies (LFS). The suggestions for learning strategies were provided.The study adopted a mixed method of quantitative research and qualitative research. Data were collected through tests and questionnaires, and the results were analyzed through statistical software SPSS. To probe the use of and the reasons for English majors'learning strategies under CBI at fundamental stage, observations were also conducted of CBI courses. The study showed that the students under CBI used many kinds of strategies, and the frequency of the overall strategies was medium with some strategies used very frequently and a few used less frequently. There existed some differences in the number, type and specific items of learning strategies between top and bottom students. However, only three out of 100 strategies had significant difference. The results also indicated that the students under CBI used many learning strategies to help absorb and grasp contents to improve their language proficiency. The study not only gave a clear picture of the use of learning strategies, but also raised suggestions on improving the strategy use. The study could be enlightening for students and teachers in their learning and teaching of CBI courses.