A Study of Learning Strategies in L2 Acquisition:(4)

However, there are many advantages in the classification of strategies. Strategy subsets enable researchers to describe the correspondence between mental processes and strategic processes (O’Malley&Chamot, 2001). Strategy inventories, as a valuable reference guide, may play an important role for teachers to carry on strategy training.

The work of Rubin (1975,1981), Wenden(1983), Oxford (1985,1990), and O’Malley and Chamot (1990) has made great contributions to the knowledge of learning strategies. Among their work, Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning ( SILL) is perhaps the most comprehensive classification of learning strategies to date (Ellis). SILL contained items tapping sixty-four individual strategies linking individual strategies as well as strategy groups with each of the four language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing).  Oxford divided learning strategies into two main groups: direct strategies and indirect strategies. Direct strategies consist of  subconscious strategies directly involving the target language while indirect strategies provide indirect support for language learning through more conscious strategies such as focusing, planning, evaluating. These two classes are subdivided into six subcategories: memory, cognitive, compensation, social, affective and metacognitive. A big problem is that SILL fails to provide details of language learning strategies related to any specific language. What’s more, Oxford’s taxonomy fails to make a distinction between strategies directed at learning the L2 and those directed at using it (Ellis). The last problem is that compensation strategies are considered as a direct type of learning strategies rather than one type of production strategies, which is somewhat confusing. Despite these problems, Oxford’s inventory has a well-understood organization of specific strategies into a hierarchy of levels.

2.2 O’Malley and Chamot framework of classification

Unlike Oxford, O’Malley and Chamot have differentiated strategies into three categories depending on the level or type of processing involved: metacoginitive, cognitive and social/affective. They grounded the study of learning strategies within the information-processing model of learning developed by Anderson. Metacognitive strategies involve consciously directing one’s efforts into the learning task. These strategies are higher order executive skills that may entail planning learning, monitoring the process of learning, and evaluating the success of a particular strategy. They have an executive function. In O’Malley and Chamot framework of learning strategies, metacognitive strategies include advance organizers, directed attention, selective attention, self-management, advance preparation, self-monitoring, delayed production and self-evaluation.

Cognitive strategies are defined as learning strategies that “operate directly on incoming information, manipulating it in ways that enhance learning” (O’Malley and Chamot 1990:44).  They have an operative or cognitive-processing function,directly linked to the performance of particular learning tasks. Cognitive strategies include repetition, resourcing, grouping, note-taking deduction/induction, substition, elaboration, summarization, translation, transfer and inferencing.

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