Do language proficiency levels correspond to language learning strategy adoption?

Abstract

The primary focus of research on employment of language learning strategies has been on identification of adoption of different learning strategies. However, the relationship between language learning strategies and proficiency levels was ignored in previous research. The present study was undertaken to find out whether there are any relationship between the employment of different strategies and learners' levels of language proficiency. To this end, initially, a simulated TOEFL test (Bailey, R. F., Seetharaman, S., Gavin, C. A., Shukla, N., Penfield, J., and Subramanian, R., 1993) was administered to classify the learners into three classes of proficiency levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. Then, Oxford's Strategy Inventory, SILL, (Oxford, 1990b) was used to determine the frequency of the language learning strategies applied by learners. The results indicated that there is a direct relationship between employment of different strategies and proficiency levels. Therefore, the findings, in general, seem convincing enough to enable one to claim that there is a correspondence between the employment of different strategies and proficiency levels. The results of the present study are by no means complete. More research is needed to substantiate the outcome of the current study. One pedagogical implication of the study is that language instructors and syllabus designers should be advised to inform language learners about language learning strategies. Other implications have been discussed.