The relationship between learning strategies and oral performance of Turkish EFL graduate science students in preparatory programs

Abstract

This study investigated the possible relationship between learning strategies and oral performance of Turkish graduate science students. A total of 62 EFL graduate science students participated in the study. The participants were given a questionnaire which identified their learning strategy preferences. Rebecca Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) Version 7.0 was used as the questionnaire. After students filled out the questionnaire they were interviewed so that they could be given a score for their oral performances, evaluated with the John Test, an oral proficiency test developed by ESL teachers at City University of New York. Finally, learning strategy scores and oral performance scores of the participants were compared through simple linear regression. This statistical procedure was found appropriate since the researcher had sought a possible relationship between the dependent variable (oral performance) and the independent variables (learning strategies). The study had two hypotheses and two research questions. The first hypothesis was that among EFL learners those who apply more strategies to their learning have higher oral performances than those learners employing fewer strategies. Analysis of the data rejected the first hypothesis. The second hypothesis was that students who demonstrate use of more direct strategies have higher oral performances than those who use more indirect strategies. Analysis of the data confirmed this hypothesis and it was found that cognitive and compensation strategies correlated positively with higher oral performance than metacognitive, memory, or affective strategies. The p value for cognitive strategies was p < 0.005 and for compensation strategy it was p < 0.025. The first research question was about learning strategy preferences of EFL graduate science students. Analysis of the data revealed that students used compensation, metacognitive, and social strategies with a 62 students, 16 reported using compensation strategies, 29 metacognitive strategies, and 12 social strategies. The second research question investigated the relationship between learning strategies and oral performances of EFL learners. Statistical analysis of the study indicated that there was not a direct relationship between the frequency of the use of learning strategies and oral performance.