Key words; comrnon, better per.fttrwing students, retraspeclive, lernle g
T&4ri Cffie,?frAffi'ru ffi_ffiffhffiirusiqffi sT&€e€ffiffiEHs
SA:C#f*me,F#
*F
yE4il
HFSffi'CYHVffi HFE- B-ffiAffifdffiffiS ')
SIeh: Suwarfrsna dan
trna ?riyanhini z)
AtsSTRACT
ffi
E
b
d .*fi g
&{7 wP
research invo!.ved nine senioy high schoal students wha lzad
high acltievement in the study of English as a Foreign L*ngtage
@FL), consisting of five -fram SMA Negeri and four fi,om
sMK Negeri 3 af Purwokerto, central Jwa. The primary aim af this resecrrch
wos to identifu the leaming strategies used eomtnonly by the better perfarming
leorners af EFL. By asing refrospective interviews the participatihg students
I
were asked tc report "special things they dtd" in aequirlng Engtish. The
interviews were tdperecorded, and abbreviated transcripts were made af the
tapes in order thst the data were easler to analyze. Data on learning strateg;
were identifred and classified by using O'Malley's psycho[agy-nriented
tsxofiorny. In addition to inforrnant feedback, data validatioil was &lso d{}ne
through peer discussions. This case study discoveted sol?te tweyliy-o?r€ {}r sG
strategies. o-f the s*ategies listed, ten werc used eommonly by the two graup:;
of students, inct'uding tlte commonest used strdt€gies of practice, seeking
learning environment, qnd resourcing. A major instructianal implication reswlted
frcm tlais study is tkot the ten cammon strctegies af the lletter perfitrmingstudents,
including the three most commonly usecl anes, should be given a pri*riry* in
strategy training or strategiesbased instrueti*n by classroorn instruet*rs oJ'
English. This wtay benefit tttose stwdents who qre fiot yet encountering signi{icant
success in their learning af the "fievt" l*nguage.
Key words; comrnon, better per.fttrwing students, retraspeclive, le*rnle g
st
r*f e gi e s,
p syc k o I o gy - rs ri
e
nt *
d
t ilcoyt o
m:/
ENTR#F}EJCTT*N
5,1c,;;ss in learning English as a
For*ig* tr anguag* (EF[,) in hndonesia is
usuai;_v
diffrcuit to achieve. There are
sor*e faetors affecting it. One importart
factor worth reviewi,ag is the inadequate
presenco of exposur*. trt is true that ex-
1] A res*iteh sponssred by the Research and Community Service Board of Muhammaclyah University of Punrokerla
3) A leciur*i at Englisii Dept.. Teacher Training and Educatiolr Faculiy of liluhamrnadiyah Universiiy
Tne ,"ir':*mon Lear,ning Slraiegies of The Secondary
119
posure can be artificially made available
in classrooms. especialiy wiren the iearning and teachmg condition is Iike the natural setting as f,ound in immersion programs, in r.vhich the rneans of communi-
catioti is the target language, bat obr,iously it is nct so abunclant *s it ls experienced by those who |eaffi F.nglish in the
ESI- environments or, even, in Enghshspeaking communitics.
With iimited natural exposure, the
efforts the forergn language learners
have for success in the language learnrng and cornmunication should be greater.
They s6661d have more ef,t'ective attempts or wavs in their learning inside
or outside the classrooms. Those learn*
ers with considerable effective rvays of,
learning seem independent in their eG
forts to help themseir,.'es learn and use
the target language . A good example of
tiris type ofleamers is some studenis rvith
high academic achievement in English
who join English contests (e.g. speech
contest. quick quiz contest- uriting contest. story retelling contest). A preliminary information shared br- the instnrctors confirmed that the students con*
cerned have an English study achievement over the average and have characteristics relativell, different from those
of mates. Horv do they leam'l It is likch,
that thev have "spccial things" used to
help themselves leam the language effectivelv. In the literature on language
research. this study refers to "learning
strategies".
Language learning strategies are
used with the explicit goal
understanding of a ta.rget Iangr"rage. Even
tirougli there is no consensus yet on the
defirution and classification rf st-rategies.
in genoratr, it has been thouglrt of as corrscicrus thor-rghts anci behayiors used b,v
students 1(t iaci!ltate iarrgLl"rgc icarning
tasks and to personafize the language
lean'ling process. In some theory of'cog-
nitive psychotogy, language iearnrng
strategies have been differentiated into
four distinct categories: cognitive,
metacognitive, social, and affective
(Chamot, 1990).
C o gnitive strategtes usualli" urvoive
ttre identification. retention. slorago. or rctrieval ofrvords, phrases. anci other ele*
rnenlc of the target language (e.g." usrng
pnor knor.vleclge to comprehend ner"i language material. appiying grammar mles
to a new context, or ciassif,ing vocabulary according to topic). Metacognitiv'e
strategies cieal rvith pre-planning and selfassessmenl. on-line pl anmng. monitoring
and evaluation. as r,vell as post-evaluation of language leaming activities (e.g..
previewing the language materials for thc
da1"s lesson. organizing one's thoughts
before speaking. or reflecting olt one's
perforrnancei Suci: strategies allou'
iearners to control the leaming process
bl,helping them coordrnate thslr efforts
to plan. organize- and evaluate target language perfonnance. Social strategies include the actions that leamcrs select for
interacting rvith other leanrers. a teachsror rvith native speakers (e .g . asking questions for clarificatiorq helping a fellow student complete a task, or cooperating with
of helping
others). Affective stratcgics servc to
learners improve their knowledge and
regulate leamer motivation. emotions, and
120
Paedagogia Jilid 9 Nomor 2, 2006
fcr reducing
anxie6,. for selftncouragement, alrd for
self-reward).
Presented below are the leaming
strategies well-organized by using tlre psy-
attitudes (e.g., strategies
Table
i.
EFLlcarning.
EFtr- Descriptrve Study: Leaming Strategy Def,rnitions and Classifications
Learning Strategyt
A.
clrology-oriented ta"ronomy. The first table
is yielded from a study on ESI- (English
as Second Language) learning, whereas
ihe second is resulted &on'l a studv on
Definition
Metacognitive
Strategies
Planning
Advance organizers
Previewing the main ideas and ooncepts of the material to be leamt, often by skirnming the txt for the
organizing principle
Directed attention
Deciding itr advance to attefld in general to a leaming
task afld ignore irrelevant distracters
Functionai planning
Flannirg for and rekearsing lnrguistic componefits necessary to carry sut an upeorning language task
Seiective atteirtion
Deciding in advarce to attend to specific aspects of
input, often by scanning for keywords, concepts, and/
or linguistic markers
Self-management
Understanding the conditions that help one learn and
arranging for the presence of tlose conditisns
Monitoring
Self-monitoring
Cheeking one's comprehonsion during listonrug or reading or checking the accuracy and/or appropriateness of
one's oral or lwitten prociuction while it is takirig place
Evaluation
Self-evaluatiori
Checking tlie outeomes or"one's cun language leaming against a standard after it has been cornpleted
B. Cognitive Strategies
R.esourcing
Using target ianguage reference materials such as
dictionaries, encyelopedias, or textbooks
Repetition
Imitating a language model, including overt practice
and silent rehearsal
The Common Learning Si;ategies of The Secondary
101
tL
t
Grouping
Classiffing words, tenninology, or concepts according to their attributes or meaning
Deduction
Appiving rutes to imderst*nd or produce the second language or making ui: rules based on lariguage analysis
Imagery
Using visual images {either rnental or aetr"lal} to understand or rernernher new information
Auditory representation
Planning i:ack im one's mind ihe sound of, a werd,
phrase, or longer language sequence
Keyword method
R.ernembering a nelv word in the seconcl language
by: (l) identifting a familiar word in the first language
that sounds like or othenvise resembles the new word.
and (2) generating easily recalled images of some
relationship with the first language homon;,rn and the
new word in the second language
Elaboratioil
Relating new infonnation to prior knowledge, relating different parh of,nsw information to each otheq
ar making meaningful personal associations with the
new information
Transfer
Using previous linguistic knowledge or prior skills to
assist eomprehension or production
lnferencing
Using available infonnation to guess meanings of new
items, predictoutcomes, or'fill in missing information
Note taking
Writ"rg down kelwords or coneepts in abbreviated verbal, graphic, or numerical fonn while listening or reading
Sumrnarizing
I\{aking a mental, oral, or written summary of ne,w
inforrnation gained through listening, or reading
Recombination
Constructing a meaningful sentence or larger lanprage
sequence by cornbining known eloments in a new rvav
Translation
Using the first language as a base for understanding
and/or producing the second language
C. Social Mediation
Question for clarifi cation
Eliciting from ateacher orpeer additional explanations,
rephrasing, examples, or verifications
Cooperation
Working together with one or more peers to solve a
problem, pool information, check a leamng task, rnodel
a language activity, or get feedback on oral or written
performance
122
Paedagogia Jilid 9 Nomor 2, 2006
Thble 2. EFL Descriptive Study: Leaming Strategy Definitions and Classifications
Learning Strategy
Defmition
A. Metacognitive Strategies
Planning
Organizational planning
Planning the parts, sequencg main ideas, ot language
funotions to be expressed orally or in writing
Delayed production
Consciously deciding to postpone speaking to leam
initially through listening comprehension
B. Cognitive Strategies
Rehearsal
Rehearsing the language needed with attefitioa to
rfledning, for an oral or written tdsk
Translation
Using the first language as a base for understanding
and/or producing the second lang;uage
Note taking
Writing down key words and concepts in aBbreviated verbal, graphic, or numerical for?n &ring a listening or rcading activrty
Substitution
:
Conto
SA:C#f*me,F#
*F
yE4il
HFSffi'CYHVffi HFE- B-ffiAffifdffiffiS ')
SIeh: Suwarfrsna dan
trna ?riyanhini z)
AtsSTRACT
ffi
E
b
d .*fi g
&{7 wP
research invo!.ved nine senioy high schoal students wha lzad
high acltievement in the study of English as a Foreign L*ngtage
@FL), consisting of five -fram SMA Negeri and four fi,om
sMK Negeri 3 af Purwokerto, central Jwa. The primary aim af this resecrrch
wos to identifu the leaming strategies used eomtnonly by the better perfarming
leorners af EFL. By asing refrospective interviews the participatihg students
I
were asked tc report "special things they dtd" in aequirlng Engtish. The
interviews were tdperecorded, and abbreviated transcripts were made af the
tapes in order thst the data were easler to analyze. Data on learning strateg;
were identifred and classified by using O'Malley's psycho[agy-nriented
tsxofiorny. In addition to inforrnant feedback, data validatioil was &lso d{}ne
through peer discussions. This case study discoveted sol?te tweyliy-o?r€ {}r sG
strategies. o-f the s*ategies listed, ten werc used eommonly by the two graup:;
of students, inct'uding tlte commonest used strdt€gies of practice, seeking
learning environment, qnd resourcing. A major instructianal implication reswlted
frcm tlais study is tkot the ten cammon strctegies af the lletter perfitrmingstudents,
including the three most commonly usecl anes, should be given a pri*riry* in
strategy training or strategiesbased instrueti*n by classroorn instruet*rs oJ'
English. This wtay benefit tttose stwdents who qre fiot yet encountering signi{icant
success in their learning af the "fievt" l*nguage.
Key words; comrnon, better per.fttrwing students, retraspeclive, le*rnle g
st
r*f e gi e s,
p syc k o I o gy - rs ri
e
nt *
d
t ilcoyt o
m:/
ENTR#F}EJCTT*N
5,1c,;;ss in learning English as a
For*ig* tr anguag* (EF[,) in hndonesia is
usuai;_v
diffrcuit to achieve. There are
sor*e faetors affecting it. One importart
factor worth reviewi,ag is the inadequate
presenco of exposur*. trt is true that ex-
1] A res*iteh sponssred by the Research and Community Service Board of Muhammaclyah University of Punrokerla
3) A leciur*i at Englisii Dept.. Teacher Training and Educatiolr Faculiy of liluhamrnadiyah Universiiy
Tne ,"ir':*mon Lear,ning Slraiegies of The Secondary
119
posure can be artificially made available
in classrooms. especialiy wiren the iearning and teachmg condition is Iike the natural setting as f,ound in immersion programs, in r.vhich the rneans of communi-
catioti is the target language, bat obr,iously it is nct so abunclant *s it ls experienced by those who |eaffi F.nglish in the
ESI- environments or, even, in Enghshspeaking communitics.
With iimited natural exposure, the
efforts the forergn language learners
have for success in the language learnrng and cornmunication should be greater.
They s6661d have more ef,t'ective attempts or wavs in their learning inside
or outside the classrooms. Those learn*
ers with considerable effective rvays of,
learning seem independent in their eG
forts to help themseir,.'es learn and use
the target language . A good example of
tiris type ofleamers is some studenis rvith
high academic achievement in English
who join English contests (e.g. speech
contest. quick quiz contest- uriting contest. story retelling contest). A preliminary information shared br- the instnrctors confirmed that the students con*
cerned have an English study achievement over the average and have characteristics relativell, different from those
of mates. Horv do they leam'l It is likch,
that thev have "spccial things" used to
help themselves leam the language effectivelv. In the literature on language
research. this study refers to "learning
strategies".
Language learning strategies are
used with the explicit goal
understanding of a ta.rget Iangr"rage. Even
tirougli there is no consensus yet on the
defirution and classification rf st-rategies.
in genoratr, it has been thouglrt of as corrscicrus thor-rghts anci behayiors used b,v
students 1(t iaci!ltate iarrgLl"rgc icarning
tasks and to personafize the language
lean'ling process. In some theory of'cog-
nitive psychotogy, language iearnrng
strategies have been differentiated into
four distinct categories: cognitive,
metacognitive, social, and affective
(Chamot, 1990).
C o gnitive strategtes usualli" urvoive
ttre identification. retention. slorago. or rctrieval ofrvords, phrases. anci other ele*
rnenlc of the target language (e.g." usrng
pnor knor.vleclge to comprehend ner"i language material. appiying grammar mles
to a new context, or ciassif,ing vocabulary according to topic). Metacognitiv'e
strategies cieal rvith pre-planning and selfassessmenl. on-line pl anmng. monitoring
and evaluation. as r,vell as post-evaluation of language leaming activities (e.g..
previewing the language materials for thc
da1"s lesson. organizing one's thoughts
before speaking. or reflecting olt one's
perforrnancei Suci: strategies allou'
iearners to control the leaming process
bl,helping them coordrnate thslr efforts
to plan. organize- and evaluate target language perfonnance. Social strategies include the actions that leamcrs select for
interacting rvith other leanrers. a teachsror rvith native speakers (e .g . asking questions for clarificatiorq helping a fellow student complete a task, or cooperating with
of helping
others). Affective stratcgics servc to
learners improve their knowledge and
regulate leamer motivation. emotions, and
120
Paedagogia Jilid 9 Nomor 2, 2006
fcr reducing
anxie6,. for selftncouragement, alrd for
self-reward).
Presented below are the leaming
strategies well-organized by using tlre psy-
attitudes (e.g., strategies
Table
i.
EFLlcarning.
EFtr- Descriptrve Study: Leaming Strategy Def,rnitions and Classifications
Learning Strategyt
A.
clrology-oriented ta"ronomy. The first table
is yielded from a study on ESI- (English
as Second Language) learning, whereas
ihe second is resulted &on'l a studv on
Definition
Metacognitive
Strategies
Planning
Advance organizers
Previewing the main ideas and ooncepts of the material to be leamt, often by skirnming the txt for the
organizing principle
Directed attention
Deciding itr advance to attefld in general to a leaming
task afld ignore irrelevant distracters
Functionai planning
Flannirg for and rekearsing lnrguistic componefits necessary to carry sut an upeorning language task
Seiective atteirtion
Deciding in advarce to attend to specific aspects of
input, often by scanning for keywords, concepts, and/
or linguistic markers
Self-management
Understanding the conditions that help one learn and
arranging for the presence of tlose conditisns
Monitoring
Self-monitoring
Cheeking one's comprehonsion during listonrug or reading or checking the accuracy and/or appropriateness of
one's oral or lwitten prociuction while it is takirig place
Evaluation
Self-evaluatiori
Checking tlie outeomes or"one's cun language leaming against a standard after it has been cornpleted
B. Cognitive Strategies
R.esourcing
Using target ianguage reference materials such as
dictionaries, encyelopedias, or textbooks
Repetition
Imitating a language model, including overt practice
and silent rehearsal
The Common Learning Si;ategies of The Secondary
101
tL
t
Grouping
Classiffing words, tenninology, or concepts according to their attributes or meaning
Deduction
Appiving rutes to imderst*nd or produce the second language or making ui: rules based on lariguage analysis
Imagery
Using visual images {either rnental or aetr"lal} to understand or rernernher new information
Auditory representation
Planning i:ack im one's mind ihe sound of, a werd,
phrase, or longer language sequence
Keyword method
R.ernembering a nelv word in the seconcl language
by: (l) identifting a familiar word in the first language
that sounds like or othenvise resembles the new word.
and (2) generating easily recalled images of some
relationship with the first language homon;,rn and the
new word in the second language
Elaboratioil
Relating new infonnation to prior knowledge, relating different parh of,nsw information to each otheq
ar making meaningful personal associations with the
new information
Transfer
Using previous linguistic knowledge or prior skills to
assist eomprehension or production
lnferencing
Using available infonnation to guess meanings of new
items, predictoutcomes, or'fill in missing information
Note taking
Writ"rg down kelwords or coneepts in abbreviated verbal, graphic, or numerical fonn while listening or reading
Sumrnarizing
I\{aking a mental, oral, or written summary of ne,w
inforrnation gained through listening, or reading
Recombination
Constructing a meaningful sentence or larger lanprage
sequence by cornbining known eloments in a new rvav
Translation
Using the first language as a base for understanding
and/or producing the second language
C. Social Mediation
Question for clarifi cation
Eliciting from ateacher orpeer additional explanations,
rephrasing, examples, or verifications
Cooperation
Working together with one or more peers to solve a
problem, pool information, check a leamng task, rnodel
a language activity, or get feedback on oral or written
performance
122
Paedagogia Jilid 9 Nomor 2, 2006
Thble 2. EFL Descriptive Study: Leaming Strategy Definitions and Classifications
Learning Strategy
Defmition
A. Metacognitive Strategies
Planning
Organizational planning
Planning the parts, sequencg main ideas, ot language
funotions to be expressed orally or in writing
Delayed production
Consciously deciding to postpone speaking to leam
initially through listening comprehension
B. Cognitive Strategies
Rehearsal
Rehearsing the language needed with attefitioa to
rfledning, for an oral or written tdsk
Translation
Using the first language as a base for understanding
and/or producing the second lang;uage
Note taking
Writing down key words and concepts in aBbreviated verbal, graphic, or numerical for?n &ring a listening or rcading activrty
Substitution
:
Conto