This study intended to investigate the language learning strategies used by learners of English as a foreign language, aiming to find the amount of strategies and the domain differences of the strategies used / to reveal the link between strategy use and success levels / and to find out the difference in strategy use between genders and its influence on their achievement in English. 257 (153 male, 104 female) students from Atilim University English Preparatory School participated in the study. At the time of the study all the participants were in the same proficiency level, and were distributed to different classes of the same level. The data were gathered through strategy inventory for language learning (SILL) of Oxford (1990), which was translated to Turkish by Cesur and Fer (2007). The instrument, based on Oxford&rsquo / s (1990) classification of the language learning strategies, is composed of 50 items in six subscales. The participants responded to the inventory before the end of the level they were in. The data were analyzed through SPSS (15.0) to find the relationship of language learning strategies, gender and achievement in learning the target language. To reveal the interconnections between these factors, independent t-tests and an ANOVA test, along with post hoc procedures were performed on the gathered data. The findings of the study revealed that use of language learning strategies are positively effective in success in English, that females were significantly more successful than males in terms of achievement tests, and that they used more language learning strategies in learning English. Depending on the statistical results, it is discovered that there is a significant connection between gender, language learning strategies and achievement in English.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of language learning strategy use and self-efficacy beliefs with language proficiency of the language preparatory school students. Moreover, some demographic characteristics of the participants were analyzed in relation to the proficiency scores of the students. Four hundred eighty nine language preparatory school students from one private university in Ankara were included in the study. Turkish version of Inventory of Strategies for Language Learning and Questionnaire of English Self-Efficacy were given to the participants. Proficiency scores were taken from the proficiency test done to examine their proficiency level at the beginning of the year. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to evaluate data collected. The results indicated that the number of years of English language learning, being abroad, type of high school that they graduated from, self-efficacy for receptive skills, and deep processing strategies predict the English language proficiency scores of the students positively, while memory and rehearsal strategies predict the English language proficiency scores negatively. The research findings were discussed by relying on the previous research findings.

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of the gender, self-efficacy beliefs, task value, and learning strategies to the 11th grade students&rsquo / biology achievement.A total of 1035 students from different high schools in Yenimahalle and &Ccedil / ankaya districts of Ankara participated in the study.The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ / Pintrich, Smith, Garcia &amp / McKeachie / 1991) and Biology Achievement Test(BAT) were used to collect data. Results of the the simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated that 11th grade students&rsquo / gender, task values, self-efficacies and elaboration learning strategies were statistically significant predictors of their Biology achievement / whereas rehearsal and organization learning strategies were not.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a mathematics instruction enriched with portfolio activities on seventh grade North Cyprus students&rsquo / mathematics achievement, motivation and learning strategies. A Doubly Repeated MANOVA measures experimental - control groups pretest-to posttest-to-retention test design was used. Convenience sampling was used in the study. 69 students from 102 formed the experimental and the control groups respectively. Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and mathematics achievement test were administered to treatment groups across three time periods. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 28 students in the experimental group. According to the findings, it was seen that the students who followed a portfolio-enriched instruction performed better in mathematics achievement, critical thinking, metacognitive self-regulation skills and extrinsic goal orientation compared to the students who followed a traditional instruction. v The findings showed that the differences for the post testing between the two groups were greater on metacognitive self-regulation and mathematics achievement test. Besides, differences for the retention testing between the two groups were greater on critical thinking and mathematics achievement test. Interview results of the study revealed that some students had emotional experiences with the portfolios. Students explained the strengths and weakness of portfolio. Furthermore, they utilized from internet, book or their peer to prepare their porfolios. The findings revealed that portfolio-enriched instruction is helpful especially in improving students&rsquo / mathematics achievement, critical thinking, metacognitive self-regulation skills and extrinsic goal orientation. Preparing a handbook and meta-curriculum for teachers is recommended in all educational settings, which may help them to develop classroom instruction according to the students&rsquo / special needs.

Many studies report information overload (IO) as one of the main problems students encounter in computer-mediated communication (CMC). To date, researchers have paid little attention to the problem of IO—more specifically, to its impact on students’ quality interaction—in educational CMC. In an attempt to fill that gap, the purposes of this study were as follows: (a) to understand the difficulties students encounter that contribute to their perceptions of IO in CMC, (b) to observe the impact of those difficulties on students’ learning in online discussions, and (c) to identify students’ strategies for avoiding or managing those difficulties in order to engage in quality learning. Interviews with students and computer conferencing transcripts were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Interviews with 10 graduate students near the beginning of the semester revealed that although students were exposed to the same amount of information in the same learning environments, different individuals experienced different degrees of IO. Varied learner characteristics caused some students to be more susceptible to IO than others. The difficulties students encountered that contributed to their perceptions of IO included connection problems, navigation difficulties, discomfort with online communication, numerous ongoing discussion messages and endless resources, difficulty in organizing learning, and problems understanding the assigned readings. Those difficulties tended not to affect students’ deep processing as observed in their discussion messages, but might influence students’ online interaction with others. Students engaging in quality learning in online discussions were interviewed near the end of the semester to investigate their learning strategies. The results indicated that students used a variety of strategies to deal with those difficulties. Those strategies were related to online class preparation, identifying relevant information, processing online information and printed materials, keeping learning on track, organizing learning, and avoiding internal and external distractions. The results of this study have implications for course design.

Including domain rules and generalities (principles) in instructions for procedural tasks is believed to help learners understand the task domain (or the system), and in turn make them better able to complete tasks. However, equivocal results of prior research indicate that principles are not always beneficial. The goal of the current research was to delineate the characteristics of the conditions under which principles are useful. In two studies I investigated the impact of the timing of principle use, the method used to study the principles, and the specificity of the procedural instructions accompanying the principles. The first study showed that the timing of principle use (studying the principles before, during, or after completing training tasks) did not affect declarative (knowledge of the system) or procedural learning (troubleshooting task performance). Therefore, the commonly advocated idea that principles should be provided before task engagement was not supported. Neither was the hypothesis that using principles while solving tasks would enhance procedural learning. When learners summarized the principles, they demonstrated better declarative learning compared to when they just read the principles. Better declarative learning was associated with better procedural learning, but the relationship between understanding and using a system is likely not as direct as often assumed. In the second study declarative and procedural learning were enhanced when the principles were accompanied by general rather than detailed procedural instructions. General procedural instructions appeared to encourage task engagement and the effective use of principles although this effect was reduced if leaners were required to summarize the principles rather than simply read them. Together the results of the two studies reveal how the learning situation and instructional materials can be constructed to create conditions where principles enhance learning and subsequent performance.

<p>Under de senare åren har det gjorts stora framsteg inom neurologin vad gäller koppling hjärna – inlärning. Tidigare ansågs intelligens vara något bestämt och oföränderligt, men nu hävdar neurologerna att människan själv sätter gränsen för sin intelligens. Alla människor har förmågan att förbättra och utveckla sin intelligens. För att lyckas med detta bör främst två väsentliga faktorer beaktas i skolan: dels att alla är unika och har olika sätt att inhämta information, dels att det är avgörande om människan befinner sig i en stimulerande miljö eller inte. Det är alltså av stor vikt hur skolmiljön ser ut för våra elever för bästa möjliga inlärning. Jag vill med detta arbete visa att genom att förstå vilka principer som styr hjärnans funktioner kan vi lärare bli bättre på att lära våra elever att lära.</p><p>Studien belyser dels hjärnans uppbyggnad och vad den har för koppling till och betydelse för inlärningen, dels belyser jag tre olika inlärningsteorier och ger praktisk/pedagogiska exempel på hur de kan användas i en klassrumssituation.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership, and Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Since Joan Rubin opened the discussion of the existence of techniques of memorization, recall, and production that marked the performance of successful learners of foreign languages, the study of Language Learning Strategies (LLS) has expanded into innumerable directions. Such studies have attempted to establish a link between LLS use and improved student performance in the classroom and beyond, determine what drives students to select particular strategies for use, and analyzed the effectiveness of LLS instruction. Few studies have examined the relationship between LLS and the study of Arabic as a foreign language. The present study identifies, among university-level students of Arabic, the LLS whose use is associated with student language success. Using a combination of survey response analysis and classroom observation, the study highlights the benefits of 17 separate strategies and recommends a phased introduction of those strategies to students in order to maximize their potential effect. The study then moves on to explore the role of the Arabic instructor in student strategy use, determining the effectiveness of current methods of strategy instruction and provides recommendations to the Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) field that may improve the techniques used to impart strategic learning competence to students of the language. In the final section of analysis, the study turns toward the Arabic textbooks that most commonly used in American colleges and universities and examines the level of support that these texts provide to the development of strategic learning methods within students, providing advice to instructors and learning materials developers intended to enhance presentation of strategies. The ultimate goal of these suggestions is improving the overall strategic capability of students of Arabic so that they can become more independent learners, capable of continuing study of the language beyond the boundaries of the university classroom. / text

My goals for this study were to use Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) to: propose a conceptual model based on theoretical frameworks of student motivation variables, use of cognitive strategies, and use of self-regulation strategies affecting student academic performance; statistically examine each of the structural relationships among the above variables on student achievement; and, test for cultural differences between American and Korean community college students on the measurement model, factor means, and structure model. These SEM results provided support for four research hypotheses: (a) Students’ reported motivational variable scores had significantly positive effects on students’ reported use of self-regulation strategies for both the American and Korean community college students; (b) Students’ reported motivational variable scores had significantly positive effects on students’ reported use of cognitive strategies for both the American and Korean community college students; (c) Students’ reported motivational variable scores significantly positively predicted students’ academic achievement for both the American and Korean community college students; (d) Students’ reported use of cognitive strategies was positively related to students’ reported use of self-regulation strategies for both the American and Korean community college students. However, these results did not provide statistical support for the four research hypotheses; (e) Students’ reported use of cognitive strategies did not significantly predict students’ academic achievement in the overall model for both the American and Korean community college students; (f) Student’s reported use of learning skills strategies did not significantly predict students’ academic achievement in the overall model for both American and Korean community college students. Based on the results of the current study, many future studies can be suggested. First of all, future studies need to have various measurements to assess student academic achievement. GPA is only one measure for students’ academic achievement or success. Future research should consider alternative measurements such as peer or teacher evaluation, students’ satisfaction, problem-solving ability in the context of the course student are taking, ability to transfer and so on. If research includes more alternative measurements to measure student success, research may avoid the limitation of using only GPA as student success. / text