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Abstract

This study examines (1) the kinds of strategies Japanese university students use, (2) the kinds of factors that affect the learner's choice of strategies, and (3) the reliability of the learner's self-evaluation of English proficiency . The Second Grade Test of the Society of Testing English Proficiency (STEP) and an 80-item Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) were conducted on 44 second-year students and 113 first-year students at a state-run university in Central Japan in May,1996. Results indicate the following things: First, Japanese university students use compensation strategies the most often and affective ones the least. Second, the more proficient students use cognitive and metacognitive strategies more frequently than the less proficient students. Third, the factors which influence the choice of strategies are major, motivation, enjoyment of English learning and gender. Fourth, self- evaluation seems not very reliable.

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References

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Language Learning Strategies Used By Japanese University Students

Abstract

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References