An Investigation On English Learning Strategies Of Secondary Vocational School Students

A large number of researchers have identified that the appropriate learning strategies guarantee effective learning. The course teaching objective in Secondary Vocational School English Syllabus states that teachers should help the students master learning strategies, develop good learning habits and improve self-learning ability. However, just a few researches have been done among secondary vocational school students in China on language learning strategies.This paper adopts quantitative and qualitative methods by conducting a questionnaire and classroom observations. The questionnaire was used to investigate memory strategies, cognitive strategies, communication strategies, control strategies and resource strategies in English learning of secondary vocational school students. 594 students from three secondary vocational schools are involved in this study. It aims to find out and analysis the characteristic of language learning strategies of the subjects, and examined whether there is gender and grade difference. Classroom observations aim to design an appropriate questionnaire to investigate the students' English learning strategies by observing the students' situation on English learning.The study finds that the proficiency of using English learning strategies by secondary vocational school students is lower than the medium level according to Oxford and Chen Xiaotang's frequency scale. And there is gender and grade difference.Based on the findings of this research, some suggestions are put forward on the training of the English learning strategies, hoping to improve the English teaching as well as students' language learning in secondary vocational schools.