Age, Language Difference and Proficiency as Determinant Factors in Learning Strategy Use

Abstract

This study examines how language difference, age, and proficiency are related to the choice and use of learning strategies by students completing a reading comprehension task. The aim of this study is to determine the learning strategies employed by two groups of students of different ages and with different foreign language proficiency levels. Participants of the study were 94 university students and 105 secondary school students. Participants were given a reading comprehension task in their native language, Turkish, and another in English, with the learning strategies they employed in the two languages categorized according to the Learning Strategies Determining Scale. It was observed that language difference, age and proficiency were influential factors in determining which learning strategies individuals used.