A Study of the Effects of ¡§Cooperation-Strategy-Communication Method¡¨ on the English Learning of Expert and Novice Seventh Graders Ya-Ting Chen Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ¡§Cooperation-Strategy-Communication Method¡¨(CSCM, developed by the researcher) on motivation in English learning, English learning strategies, and English ability. Expert/novice students were the high/low achievers of English learning in primary school. A quasi-experimental design was conducted. Participants were English expert and novice seventh graders selected from a junior high school in Kaohsiung County. One of the summer activity classes represented the experimental group (EG), while another one was the control group (CG). During the month of experimentation, both classes were given English instruction for 16 periods, by having EG received CSCM, and CG received general English teaching. The instruments for pretests were ¡§English Learning Achievement Assessment¡¨ and ¡§English Learning Status Questionnaire A for 7th Graders¡¨, which included ¡§English Learning Motivation Scale¡¨, ¡§English Learning Manners Scale¡¨ and open-ended questions. The instruments for posttests were ¡§English Ability Test for 7th Graders¡¨, and ¡§English Learning Status Questionnaire B for 7th Graders¡¨, which also included ¡§English Learning Motivation Scale¡¨, ¡§English Learning Strategies Scale¡¨ and open-ended questions. Besides, interview outline and teaching diary were also used. Quantitative data were analyzed by two-way MANCOVA while qualitative data referred to content analysis. The main findings were: 1.CSCM showed positive effects on English learning strategies and English ability. 2.Expert students in EG outperformed expert students in CG in English ability. 3.Expert students outperformed novice students in 7 different measures, including motivation in English learning, extrinsic motivation, school curriculum, extracurricular learning, memory strategies, cognitive strategies and English ability. 4.Both expert and novice students: (1) mastered English learning strategies; (2) expected interesting, active and interactive instruction; (3) expected warm attitude from teachers; (4) evaluated their own level of English ability well. The researcher referred to the above findings and made related recommendations for further studies and educational applications.

This study, entitled “Understanding the Choice of Chinese Graduate Students’ English Learning Strategies in a Canadian Context,” explores the English learning strategies employed by six graduate students from China after their arrival in Canada, and documents and analyses changes in their learning strategies. These Chinese students encountered a change of language context because when in the unilingual Chinese environment they spoke Mandarin and upon their arrival in Canada, they were obligated to use English to communicate with Canadians and other international students. These students employed different English learning strategies in the Canadian context from what they were accustomed to in China. Thus, the researcher’s central objective in this study is to discover and document those changes in learning strategies and to investigate the factors accounting for the changes. In the process, the researcher aims to fill a gap in research exploring the learning strategies of Chinese students in foreign contexts, and create valuable new knowledge to benefit prospective Chinese international students, policy makers at the international universities, and English educators in China. The theoretical framework of this research is the qualitative co-constructivism paradigm along with narrative inquiry. Semi-structured interviews were used as the primary method of collecting data in this study, beginning with individual interviews, and followed by a focus group interview. The data collected through the interviews showed that the six participants’ reliance on the memory and cognitive strategies employed in China were abandoned in favor of utilization of compensation strategies and social strategies after moving to Canada. Furthermore, these participants were more open to making mistakes and taking risks during interactions with others in English. Moreover, these participants made these changes mainly because they desired to use the English-speaking environment in Canada to improve English proficiency. An important finding of my research is that their immersion in the English-speaking environment inspired these participants to employ different English learning strategies that led to significant improvement in their English proficiency.