This document discusses 5 key factors that affect language learning strategies: motivation, gender, years of study, age, and language proficiency. For each factor, it provides an overview and discusses findings from past studies on how the factor influences language learning strategy use. Motivation is identified as one of the most significant factors, with highly motivated students tending to use more strategies. The document also discusses mixed findings from previous research on the impact of gender. Longer years of study and higher proficiency levels are both associated with greater strategy use.

1. FACTORS AFFECTING
LANGUAGE LEARNING
STRATEGY
COURSE:
GE6533 – LANGUAGE LEARNING
STRATEGIES INSTRUCTION
LECTURER:
PROF DR. MOHAMED AMIN EMBI
PREPARED BY:
NOR HASLINDA BINTI HASHIM (P66420)

2. LANGUAGE
MOTIVATION
PROFICIENCY
5 FACTORS
AFFECTING
LLS
YEARS OF
AGE GENDER
STUDY

3. MOTIVATION
 One of the most significant factors that
affects language learning as well as the
use of LLS
 Students’ motivation determines the
strategy used as well as the variety of
strategy used in language learning.
 Highly motivated students tend to use
more LLS of various types

4. MOTIVATION
PAST STUDIES
 Oxford & Nyikos (1989) – a big scale
study involving 1,200 university students
showed that highly motivated students in
language learning will likely use variety
of strategies.
 Khamkien (2010) – study on Thai &
Vietnamese EFL learners indicated that
motivation is the most significant factor
affecting the choice of strategy among
learners.

5. GENDER
 There are various findings from studies
regarding the influence of gender on the
choice of LLS
 Although gender can be a factor in the
choice and use of LLS, various research
indicate different findings from one
another.
 Based on various studies, gender could be
a significant factor affecting LLS or
otherwise.

6. GENDER
PAST STUDIES
 Oxford & Nyikos (1989) – gender showed
a great influence on the use of LLS.
Female students are reported to use LLS
more frequently than the male students
 Nisakorn (2007) – study on 1,134 students
in Thai public universities indicated that
female students use more varieties of LLS
than the male students.

7. GENDER
PAST STUDIES
 Rahimi et al. (2008) – study on post-secondary
level Persian EFL learners indicated that
different gender did not show much difference
in the use of LLS
 Khamkien (2010) – gender is not considered as
one of the variables that contributes to
differences in choice of LLS
 Shmais (2003) – gender did not show any
significant contribution to differences in use of
LLS

8. YEARS OF STUDY
 The duration of learning the language
which is also considered as the language
experience in some studies shows
influence on LLS use.
 Students with longer duration or higher
level of learning the language use
different strategies compared to those
with shorter duration or lower level of
learning the language.

9. YEARS OF STUDY
PAST STUDIES
 Oxford & Nyikos (1989) – years spent on
studying the foreign language showed a
significant effect on the use of LLS.
Students with longer years of studying the
foreign language used LLS more often
than those with shorter duration.
 Nisakorn (2007) – students with more
language experience highly used the LLS
in learning the language.

10. AGE
 Learners’ age is one of the important
characteristics influencing the language
learning process (Kamarul & Mohamed
Amin 2010)
PAST STUDY
 Magogwe & Oliver (2007) – study on 480
students from primary, secondary and
tertiary education found that students at
different age use different strategies.

11. LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
 The proficiency of learner influences the
LLS choice and use as the more proficient
learners use various strategies with
greater frequencies
PAST STUDIES
 Oxford & Nyikos (1987) – causal
relationship existed between proficiency
self-ratings and strategy use. Students
with higher self-perceived proficiency
used LLS more frequently.

12. LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
PAST STUDIES
 Lai (2011) – study on 418 EFL learners in
Taiwan found that proficiency level has a
significant effect on strategy choice and
use. The more proficient learners used
more learning strategies than the less
proficient students.

13. REFERENCES
Kamarul Shukri M.T. & Mohamed Amin E. 2010. Strategi
Pembelajaran Bahasa. Kuala Lumpur: Penerbit Universiti
Malaya.
Khamkhien, A. 2010. Factors affecting language learning
strategy reported usage by Thai and Vietnamese EFL
learners. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching,
7(1): 66-85.
Lai, Y. C. 2009. Language learning strategy use and English
proficiency of university freshmen in Taiwan. Tesol
Quarterly, 43(2): 255-280.
Magogwe, J. M., & Oliver, R. 2007. The relationship
between language learning strategies, proficiency, age
and self-efficacy beliefs: A study of language learners in
Botswana. System, 35(3: 338-352.

14. REFERENCES
Nisakorn, P. 2007. Factors related to the use of language
learning strategies by thai public university freshmen.
Thesis for the degree of doctor of philosophy in English
language studies, Suranaree University of Technology
Oxford, R., & Nyikos, M. 1989. Variables affecting choice of
language learning strategies by university students. The
modern language journal, 73(3): 291-300.
Rahimi, M., Riazi, A., & Saif, S. 2008. An investigation into
the factors affecting the use of language learning
strategies by Persian EFL learners. Canadian Journal of
Applied Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique
appliquée, 11(2): 31-60.
Shmais, W. A. 2003. Language learning strategy use in
Palestine. TESL-EJ, 7(2).

15. THANK YOU!!!