5 FactorsAffecting Language Learning Strategy

Prepared by : Siti Nurliyana Ab Halim P66518

GENDER

• Women tend to become mature earlier than men in various aspects.

• There is no specific study or research that shows how gender really affects LLS

used by L2 learner.

• Different researches show different points regarding the gender issue on LLS :

women tend to use more LLS compared to men and otherwise

women are more preferring to use social strategies frequently than men

women most likely use memory, meta cognitive, affective and social

strategies compared to men

women are less likely use translation and cognitive strategies than men

women tend to use LLS more than men in class, out of class and during

examination as well

• From the researches conducted before, we can see that BOTH women and

men use LLS to help them learn L2 better.

• Type of LLS use are difficult to be specify because it is various and depending

on an individual choice.

• However, some research show that women tend to use metacognitive strategies

in the process of learning a second language.

• Apart from it, men are said to use more LLS than women do.

AGE

Lightbown & Spada, 2003The relationship between age of the learners and the potential to be succeed in L2 learning process is always be discussed about.

This shows how age is closely related to LLS used by a particular person. Young learner tend to use simple and easy strategies compared to adult learner as they are still lack of experience and knowledge. Therefore, adult learners are more advance in L2 learning process rather than young learners as they have more superiority and advantage in many aspects of language. In contrast to it, young learners are able to achieve higher level of language competency more than adult learner as they learn in natural way.

Second language development in formal language learning environments.

• In the early stages of the second language development, older learners (adolescents and adults) are more efficient than younger learners (children).

• Learners who began learning second language at elementary school level did not necessarily do better in the long run than those who began in early adolescent.

Second language development in informal learning environments.

• Children can eventually speak the second language with native-like fluency, but their parents and older learners are hard to achieve such high levels of mastery of the spoken language, especially in pronunciation/accent.

• Adults and adolescents can make more rapid progress towards mastery of second language in contexts where they can make use of the language on a daily basis in social, personal, professional, or academic interaction

SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS

Coleman et al. 1996Research on how family socioeconomic status give influence towards the academic achievement has started actively in the middle of 1960s.

• There are bundles of research proved that, parents play a big role and act as an influential part of their children’s learning process.

• Two core elements that have been referred to :

Parents Academic Background : Slavin, 1997

In fact, parents with high academic background can be an inspiration to their children besides act as a role model.

Parents Income

MOTIVATION

Ellis (1994)Efforts done by the students to learn a second language as resulted from the desire and need to learn it.

Gardner (1985)Level of efforts of someone who learns a language due to his / her desire to do so and the satisfaction when doing so.

• Desire or passion to learn a new language not only derived from the environment (parents, peers, teacher and study environment), but also from the inner side of us called Motivation.

• A motivated L2 learner will have desire to use more effective and specific strategies to learn the language, while a less motivated student will not.

ETHNICS & CULTURES