An Empirical Study On Gender Differences In Writing Strategies Use Of English Majors

In the field of language learning strategies study, research in writing strategies is somewhat of a latecomer compared with research in listening strategies and vocabulary strategies, which initiated from the middle and late1980s. Though insufficient, research into second and foreign language writing strategies has been going in depth and breadth over the past20years. However, little attention has been paid to the relationship between learners’writing strategies use and gender. No consistent and agreeable conclusion has been reached. Therefore, the present study strives for exploring learners’writing strategies use by gender on the basis of O’Malley and Chamot’s (1990) learning strategies theory.This study aims to investigate similarities and differences in writing strategies use by male and female English majors. A mixed method approach was employed which drew on both quantitative and qualitative data from questionnaire, interviews and writing exam.202junior English majors from South-Central University for Nationalities were involved in the study.The study showed that English majors are medium strategy users. Cognitive strategies were used more frequently than meta-cognitive strategies and social/affective strategies. The study also showed that there was no significant difference in the use of the overall writing strategies between males and females in general terms as well as the meta-cognitive strategies and cognitive strategies, whereas for social/affective strategies, significant difference existed between males and females. Female English majors reported to use social/affective strategies more often than males. The results from group interviews and individual interviews further corroborated and enriched the results from the quantitative research. It was found from the interviews that gender and mother tongue exerted some influence on learners’choice of writing strategies.The findings of the study carry important implications for both teaching and learning writing in China. For writing teachers, in particular, it is important for them to be fully aware of the difference in writing strategies use in terms of gender, thus enhancing and strengthening writing strategies training among English majors so that more and various writing strategies would be chosen and used by students spontaneously. For English majors, it is necessary for them to understand the differences in learning styles and writing strategies use generated by gender. Both male and female learners could take their own gender advantage in the choice of strategies so as to develop their language proficiency and enhance their leaning autonomy in a maximum manner.