一项对楚雄州初中彝族学生英语学习策略的实证研究

1、分类号 密级 UDC 编号 教育硕士专业学位研究生学位论文论文题目：An Empirical Study of the Yi Students English Learning Strategies in Junior Middle Schools of Chuxiong一项对楚雄州初中彝族学生英语学习策略的实证研究学 院 外语学院 专业名称 学科教学英语 研究方向 英语教育 研究生姓名 学号 导 师 姓名 职称 副教授 2006 年 9月 20 日 独创性声明本人声明所呈交的学位论文是我个人在导师指导下进行的研究工作及取得的研究成果。尽我所知，除文中已经标明引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他

2、个人或集体已经发表或撰写过的研究成果。对本文的研究做出奉献的个人和集体，均已在文中以明确方式标明。本人完全意识到本声明的法律结果由本人承当。学位论文作者签名：年 月 日学位论文版权使用授权书本学位论文作者完全了解学校有关保存、使用学位论文的规定，即：学校有权保存并向国家有关部门或机构送交论文的复印件和电子版，允许论文被查阅和借阅。本人授权云南师范大学可以将本学位论文的全部或局部内容编入有关数据库进行检索，可以采用影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存和汇编本学位论文。学位论文作者签名： 指导教师签名：年 月 日 年 月 日An Empirical Study of the Yi Students En

3、glish Learning Strategies in Junior Middle Schools of Chuxiong一项对楚雄州初中彝族学生英语学习策略的实证研究Table of ContentsContents PageTable of contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iList of tables and figures . .vConventions and abbreviations. . viAcknowledgements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . viiStatement of authorship.

4、 . . . . . . . . . . . .ixAbstract ( in English) . . . . . . . . . . . . . xAbstract ( in Chinese) . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiiiChapter One Introduction1.1 Introduction to the study 11.2 Statement of the problems 11.2.1 The drawbacks of the present theoretical outcomes 11.2.2 The Yi students specia

5、l background21.2.3 The present situation of English language teaching for the Yi students in Chuxiong 41.3 Rationale of the study 51.4 Objectives of the study61.5 Significance of the study61.6 Outline of the thesis 7Chapter Two Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 8i2.2 Definitions of learning strateg

6、ies 82.3 Categories of learning strategies : an overview 92.4 Summary 14Chapter Three Methodology3.1 Introduction 163.2 Specific research questions 163.3 Participants173.4 Sampling 173.5 Instruments . 183.5.1 Questionnaire . . 183.5.2 Interviews . 183.5.3 English scores of two tests 183.5.4 Classroo

7、m observations 183.6 Data collection procedures . 193.6.1 Subject selection 19 3.6.2 Classroom observations 19 3.6.3 Questionnaire design 20 3.6.4 Pilot study .20 3.6.5 Delivery of the questionnaire 20 3.6.6 Interviews .213.7 Data analysis 213.7.1 Validity of data .213.7.2 Quantitative analysis of t

8、he data 223.7.3 Qualitative analysis of the data 233.8 Summary 23iiChapter Four Results and Discussions4.1 Introduction 244.2 Category framework of learning strategies in this study 244.3 Results and discussions about the quantitative research 254.3.1 Correlation between beliefs and learning results

9、. 254.3.1.1 Results of the Pearson Correlation analysis . 254.3.1.2 Findings.264.3.2 Differences between beliefs of high-achievers and low-achievers26 4.3.2.1 Results of the Independent Samples Test .26 4.3.2.2 Discussions and implications. 274.3.3 Correlation between learning strategies and learnin

10、g results.27 4.3.3.1 Results of the Pearson Correlation analysis . 27 4.3.3.2 Discussions 294.3.4 Differences between strategy application of high-achievers and low-achievers . . 294.3.4.1 Results of the Independent Samples Test. 29 4.3.4.2 Discussions. 304.3.5 Comprehensive analysis of the Yi stude

11、nts strategy application .30 4.3.5.1 Descriptive statistics of each strategy category . 30 4.3.5.2 Findings 314.3.6 The Yi students main difficulties in English learning31 4.3.6.1 Frequency distribution and description of the difficulties 31 4.3.6.2 Results of the Pearson Correlation .31 4.3.6.3 Con

12、clusions .324.4 Results and discussions about the qualitative research324.4.1 Results of individual interviews for teachers324.4.2 Results of individual interviews for students32iii4.4.3 Summary of difficulties in learning .334.4.4 Findings and discussions. 354.5 Summary.35 Chapter Five Conclusion .

13、36 5.2 Major findings from the study36 5.2.1 Findings on strategy application of the Yi students 36 5.2.2 Findings on the correlation between the Yi students strategy application and learning results . .36 5.2.3 Findings on the Yi students difficulties in English learning36 5.3 Implications.37 5.3.1

14、 Theoretical implications .37 5.3.2 Methodological implications37 5.3.3 Practical implications38 5.3.4 Pedagogical implications. 385.4 Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research39References. 40Appendix 1 Questionnaire .43Appendix 2 Individual interview for students . 47Appendix 3 I

15、ndividual interview for teachers48Appendix 4 Transcription of individual interviews for teachers49Appendix 5 Transcription of individual interviews for students52Appendix 6 Tables and figures in quantitative analysis62ivList of Tables and FiguresTable 2.1: Definitions of learning strategies .8Table

16、2.2: OMalley and Chamots categories of learning strategies .12Table 2.3: Oxfords classification of learning strategies .12Table 3.1: Summary of classroom observations .19Fig. 3.2: Frequency distribution of the first test . 22Table 4.1: A table for checking questionnaire items within each category .2

17、4Table 4.2: Correlation between beliefs and learning results 25Table 4.3: Frequency distribution of beliefs No.4, 5, 9 and 19 62Table 4.4: Descriptive statistics of low-achievers and high-achievers .26Table 4.5: Correlation between learning strategies and learning results .28Table 4.6: Frequency dis

18、tribution of strategies No.3, 6 and 12 63Table 4.7: Frequency of strategies No.13, 15, 16 and 18 .28Table 4.8: Significance value of strategy No.12 . 29Table 4.9: Summary of strategy application of each category 30Table 4.10: Descriptive statistics of each strategy category . 64Fig. 4.11: Frequency

19、distribution of the main difficulties . 65Table 4.12: Interpretation of difficulties in English learning . 31Table 4.13: Description of learning difficulties . 32Table 4.14: Summary of Part One: background . 33Table 4.15: Summary of Part Two: beliefs . 33Table 4.16: Summary of learning difficulties

20、. 34Table 4.17: Summary of Part Three: learning strategies .34vConventions and AbbreviationsSPSS Statistical Package for Social ScienceSig. significanceStd. Dev standard deviationFig. figuresS1 student 1T1 teacher 1Ss studentsNo. numberviAcknowledgmentsThe preparation for the degree and the completi

21、on of this thesis first owe immense thanks to School of Foreign Languages, Yunnan Normal University. Thus, as the final version of this thesis makes its appearance after three and a half years of hard work, the author feels it necessary to acknowledge all those who have contributed during this endea

22、vor.I would like to express my cordial gratitude to Associate Prof. Duan Jieyun, my supervisor, for her incisive instruction during my undergraduate years, from which I benefited a lot. Moreover, Id like to thank her for her warm encouragement and enlightening suggestions during the course of my the

23、sis writing, and also for her timely help and her efforts to proofread my thesis. All these are indispensable to the completion of this paper.My sincere thanks also go to Prof. Huo Yongshou for his trust, encouragement and persistent help during years of study in my undergraduate and postgraduate co

24、urses, and also for his valuable suggestions to my thesis writing.Special thanks are then due to Associate Prof. Li Shaoling for her enlightening and valuable suggestions, timely help and warm encouragement, and also for her efforts to proofread my thesis.I also wish to thank Prof. Yang Duanhe for h

25、is insightful and enlightening instruction of the statistical knowledge about the advanced software, SPSS, which helped me a lot in the analysis of the data collected in this study.For their wonderful lectures and various acts of help during my studies, I am deeply indebted to the following professo

26、rs: Prof. Liu Shoulan, Prof. He Changyi, Prof. Huo Yongshou (again), Prof. Li Lisheng, Prof. Yang Duanhe (again), Prof. Yuan Yichuan, Prof. Liu Hanyu, Prof. Zhang Keqin and Associate Prof. Li Shaoling (again).My special thanks also go to Associate Prof. Liu Kaifu, Dean of English viiDepartment of Ch

27、uxiong Normal University for his support and valuable suggestions.Also I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. Xie Lidong for his help with the technical problems I encountered during the data analysis in this study.Furthermore, I wish to thank my classmates and friends for their friendship, especia

28、lly Ms. Xia Guangmei, for her encouragement and help.Moreover, Id like to thank all the informants in Zi Xi Middle School, including the teachers who provided me with the samples and the data, the teachers and students interviewed and the students who finished the questionnaire. Finally, I owe many

29、debts to my husband who shared my worries and joys and gave me his persistent understanding and support in my study, and also my parents who devoted their time and energy to the care of my young baby.viiiStatement of AuthorshipThis thesis does not contain any material that has been presented by me f

30、or the award of any other degree or diploma in any tertiary institution and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, this dissertation does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of the present thesis. The thesis

31、 has been written by myself under the supervision of my supervisor.No other persons work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of this thesis.I agree that bound copy of this thesis may be available for consultation within the library of Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, PRC. I

32、understand that my consent is required only for three years following acceptance of my thesis.Signature:Date:ixAbstractThis study is intended to investigate how the junior Yi students employ learning strategies in their English learning. The study involves an analysis of the present teaching of Engl

33、ish in Middle schools of Chuxiong, an analysis of the Yi students cultural background and an investigation on the strategy application and learning difficulties of the junior Yi students in their English learning. A detailed analysis was conducted to illustrate what are the strategies that the Yi st

34、udents fail to use or cant use effectively. A discussion was also conducted to explore the relevance between their learning strategies and the learning results. According to Oxford (1990), language learning strategies are behaviors or actions which the learners use to make language learning more suc

35、cessful, self-directed and enjoyable. Chamot (1987) claimed that learning strategies are techniques, approaches or deliberate actions that students take in order to facilitate the learning. Ellis (1994) believed that strategy choice can affect learning outcomes, which in turn can have an influence o

36、n strategy use. Nunan (1999: 63) suggested that strategy training does make a difference in several key areas. First, it had a significant effect on student motivation. It also had a significant effect on students knowledge of strategies, and their appreciation of the use of strategies in their lang

37、uage learning. Wen (1996) claimed that learning strategies have direct influence on the results of learning and that the adjustment of learning strategies is the key factor in successful learning. Previous researches showed that learning strategies contribute directly to learners learning results. T

38、he New National Middle School English Curriculum Standard of China ( Ministry of Education, 2001) also emphasized the obtaining of effective learning strategies.Based on previous researches, the present study conducted face-to-face interviews, classroom observations, a five-point scale questionnaire

39、 and the analysis of two tests to study the junior Yi students and the study reveals the following xfindings: 1. The junior Yi students are good at using metacognitive strategies and social/affective strategies but they are not good at using cognitive strategies. Most of the Yi students do not often

40、 use translation strategies.2. The junior Yi students employment of metacognitive and social/affective strategies has significant correlation with their learning results. This shows that the employment of metacognitive strategies and social/affective strategies is one of the major factors influencin

41、g their English learning results.3. The differences between English and Chinese in terms of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and cultural background are the main obstacles in their English learning. Poor economic condition is also a big obstacle to the Yi students English learning.4. Generally, th

42、e Yi students are introvert and shy. They are not creative in strategy application, either; but they are hard-working and easy to motivate. Findings from this research suggest that metacognitive strategies and social/ affective strategies are very important in English learning. However, these strate

43、gies should be combined with cognitive strategies. Both the knowledge about English itself and the knowledge about learning strategies are important and they should gain equal weight in learning and teaching. Only when cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies and social /affective strategies a

44、re combined together will learning achieve better results. Therefore, teachers should, on one hand, develop students awareness of using good learning strategies，do more strategy guiding and training and help students gain effective learning strategies. On the other hand, teachers should take the Yi

45、students specific personalities and their cultural background into consideration, give them more chances to participate in learning activities and give them persistent encouragement. Lastly, and the most important, learning strategies are not all-purpose although they may contribute greatly to learn

46、ing. They shall never take the place of the learning process itself. Only when strategies are based on diligence will success in English xilearning be gained. Therefore, teachers should always follow the right orientation in strategy training and prevent students misconception of taking shortcuts in

47、 English learning.Key words: junior; Yi students; metacognitive strategies; cognitive strategies; social/affective strategies; translation strategiesxii摘要本研究主要通过对初中彝族学生在英语学习过程中的学习策略应用情况的调查，分析他们善于使用哪些策略、缺少或不能充分利用哪些策略，并就英语学习策略和学习成绩之间的相关性进行分析和讨论。此外, 本研究还调查、分析了初中彝族学生的特殊的文化背景及学习英语的主要困难。Oxford认为，学习策略指的是学习

48、者在语言学习中所采取的能促使学习更成功、更有针对性的一些具体行为。Chamot 认为，学习策略是学习者在语言学习中所采用的能促进学习的技巧、方法及有意识的行为。Ellis 指出，策略的选用会影响学习的结果，而学习的结果又反过来影响策略的使用。Nunan 认为，学习策略的训练很重要，它不但影响学生的学习动机，还影响学生对学习策略的认识及使用。文秋芳指出，学习策略直接影响到学习的结果，不断地调整学习策略是成功的语言学习的关键因素。我国教育部在2001年公布的?全日制义务教育普通高级中学英语课程标准实验稿?中也明确指出学习策略是学生综合语言运用能力的一个重要组成局部，是提高学习效率、开展自主学习能力

49、的保证。在前人的研究成果的根底上，本研究通过实地听课观察、问卷调查、访谈师生及对两次测试成绩的分析，对初中彝族学生在英语学习过程中的学习策略应用情况进行了研究，得出了以下结果：1. 总的说来，初中彝族学生更善于使用元认知策略和社会/情感策略，但是他们不善于使用认知策略，大局部学生都不经常使用翻译策略。2. 初中彝族学生的元认知策略和社会/情感策略的使用与他们的英语学习成绩密切相关。因此，能否经常地、有效地使用元认知策略和社会/情感策略是影响他们的英语学习成绩的因素之一。3. 中、英文在语音、语法、词汇和文化背景方面的差异是初中彝族学生在英语学习中的主要障碍。此外，经济条件差也是他们学习中的一大

50、困难。4. 初中彝族学生普遍内向、羞怯，不大喜欢开口，并且对策略的应用不太灵活，缺乏创新，但他们刻苦、学习动机强。上述研究结果说明：元认知策略和社会/情感策略在学习的过程中起着重要xiii的作用，然而，只有当把它们与认知策略结合起来使用时才能取得最正确的效果，英语语言本身的知识及学习策略方面的知识在教与学当中都是同等重要的。 因此，教师应当培养学生优化学习策略的意识并在平常的教学中重视英语学习策略方面的指导和训练，帮助学生获得良好的学习策略并养成良好的学习习惯。教师在平常的教学中要充分考虑到彝族学生特殊的文化背景及个体因素，尽量多组织师生互动活动，让他们有时机参与到活动中去。此外还应该对他们多

51、加鼓励，以增强他们学习的自信心。最后要说明的是，尽管学习策略有助于提高学习效率，但它毕竟不是万能的，它最终还是不能取代语言学习本身，因此，英语学习要取得成功，除了会应用有效的学习策略外，首先还是离不开自身的勤奋努力，教师在向学生说明学习策略的重要性及进行策略训练时要正确引导，以防学生形成“学习英语不必下苦工夫，可以走捷径的心理。 关键词：初中；彝族学生；元认知策略；认知策略；社会/情感策略；翻译策略xvChapter One Introduction1.1 Introduction to the study This study originates from my quenchless cu

52、riosity and deep interest with the Yi students and a strong urge to explore how they learn English. The study is intended to investigate how the Yi students employ learning strategies in their English learning in junior middle schools of Chuxiong. The study involves: an analysis of the present teaching of English in Middle schools of Chuxiong, an analysis of the Yi students cultural background and an investigation