This document discusses factors that affect language learning strategies, including motivation, attitude, gender, age, and duration of learning. It reviews several studies that found motivation and positive attitude are strongly linked to language learning success. Gender differences in strategy use were also found, with females employing more strategies. Adults and those with more experience tend to use strategies more effectively than children or novices. Overall duration and level of learning influences what strategies students employ.

1. FACTORS AFFECTING LANGUAGE
LEARNING STRATEGIES
GGGE 6533: LANGUAGE LEARNING
STRATEGIES INSTRUCTION
LECTURER: PROF. DR. MOHAMED AMIN EMBI
PREPARED BY: ASHAIRI SULIMAN
(P 69346)

2. 1. Motivation
• Dornyei (1994) has claimed that motivation
refers to an individual attempt and desire to
learn a specific language and his/her positive
attitudes toward learning it.
• In second language learning, a learner will be
successful with proper motivation (Brown, 2000).
• Motivation is considered one of the strong
predictors driving language learning success
(Winke, 2005).

3. 1. Motivation
• Muneera & Shameem (2013) who examined
Malaysian pre-university students' integrative
and instrumental motivation toward learning
English language found that they have very
high motivation and positive attitudes
towards leaning English and that they are
more instrumentally motivated.

4. 1. Motivation
• Ainol Mardziah & Isarji (2009) studied 500
Malaysian students’ motivation to learn a
foreign language came to a conclusion that
UKM and UiTM students were extrinsically
and intrinsically motivated to learn a foreign
language.

5. 2. Attitude
• The path of their attitude will be grounded by
ego-permeability which refers to different
readiness of learners to expose their imperfect
command of a language and disgrace
themselves with inappropriate, awkward or
ridiculous utterance (Xiang Yang, 2012).
• Gardner (1985) believes that students with
positive attitudes and high level of motivation
will be more successful compared to those
with negative attitudes and no motivation.

6. 2. Attitude
• Liu’s (2007) study on Chinese university
students’ attitudes and motivation to learn
English revealed that students who had more
positive attitudes towards learning English
tend to score higher in the proficiency test.
• Thang, Ting & Nurjanah (2011) in their study
indicated that there is a positive relationship
between higher proficiency level and positive
attitudes and motivation to learn English.

7. 3. Gender
• Women and men develop different patterns of
language use (Holmes, 1998).
• Female students are found to employ more
strategies inside and outside the class as well
as for exam purpose as compared to male
students (Kamarul Shukri & Mohamed Amin,
2000).

8. 3. Gender
• Yaman (2012) revealed that there is a
significant difference between males and
females in terms of their English learning
beliefs. Females have more tendencies to
different areas which will be useful for them
such as learning English where it can be better
for them if they know English beside the other
academic subjects and this can help them
with their careers.

9. 4. Age
• Adults have more advantage over children –
better memories, more efficient ways of
organizing information, longer attention
spans, better study habits and greater ability
to handle complex mental task (Rubin &
Thompson, 1994).
• Most discussions about age center on the
questions of whether there is a critical period
for language acquisition, Brown, 2000).

10. 4. Age
• Learners’ age is one of the important
characteristics influencing the language learning
process (Kamarul & Mohamed Amin, 2010).
• Mei-Ling (2014) described that secondary and
tertiary students reported using compensation
strategies more frequently than primary
students. Whereas, she found that tertiary
students used social and affective strategies
more frequently than other age groups.

11. 5. Duration of Learning
• Older students or those who have achieved
higher level competency employ different
learning strategies as compared to the novice
learners (Kamarul Shukri & Mohamed Amin,
2010).
• Nisakorn (2007) in the study found out that
students with more language experience
highly used the LLS in learning the language.

12. References
• Gardner, R.C. (1985). Social psychology and second
language learning: The role of attitudes and
motivation. London: Edward Arnold.
• Dornyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and Motivating in
the Foreign Language Classroom. Modern
Journal, 78, 273-84.
• Rubin, J. & Thompson, I. (1994). How To Be a More
Successful Language Learner. USA: Heinle and
Heinle Publishers.
• Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of Language
Learning and Teaching. New York: Pearson.

13. References
• Winke, Paula M. (2005). Promoting Motivation in the
foreign language classroom. Clear News, 9, 1-5.
• Nisakorn Prakongchati. (2007). Factors Related to
the Use of Language Learning Strategies by Thai
Public University Freshmen. Thesis for Doctor of
Philosophy in English Language Studies, Suranaree
University of Technology.
• Liu Meihua. (2007). Chinese students’ motivation to
learn English at the tertiary level. Asian EFL Journal.
Vol. 9 (1), 126-146.

14. References
• Ainol Madziah Zubairi & Isarji Hj Sarudin. (2009).
Motivation To Learn A Foreign Language In
Malaysia, GEMA Online Journal of Language
Studies, Vol. 9 (2).
• Kamarul Shukri Mat The & Mohamed Amin Embi.
(2010). Strategi Pembelajaran Bahasa. Kuala
Lumpur: Penerbit Universiti Malaya.
• Thang Siew Ming, Ting Siew Ling & Nurjanah Mohd
Jaafar. (2011). Attitudes and Motivation of
Malaysian Secondary Students towards Learning
English as a Second Language. 3L: Southeast Asian
Journal of English Language Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1.

15. References
• Xiang Yang. (2012). Attitude and Motivation in L2
Learning among UM Master Students.
International Journal of Management and
Sustainability, 1 (1).
• Yaman, S. (2012). Students’ beliefs in language
learning: area and gender variables of study. E-
Journal of New World Sciences Academy NWSA-
Humanities,7(2), 83-92.
• Muneera Miftah & Shameem Rafik-Galea. (2013).
Language Learning Motivation among Malaysian
Pre-University Students. English Language
Teaching, Vol. 6, Num. 3.

16. References
• Mei-Ling Chen. (2014). Age Differences in the
Use of Language Learning Strategies. English
Language Teaching, Vol. 7, Num. 2.