Memory Strategies The Function of Language Learning Strategies

6. Social Strategies

This strategy facilitates language learning through interaction with others. It consists of asking questions, cooperating with others, and empathizing with others. Asking questions can be described as 1 asking clarification or verification, or 2 asking for correction. Meanwhile, cooperating with others can be applied by 1 cooperating with peers, or 2 cooperating with proficient user or native speaker of the language. And last is empathizing with others involves 1 developing cultural understanding, and 2 becoming aware of others’ thoughts and feelings. 24

D. The Importance of Language Learning Strategies

Knowing the importance of language learning strategies is a significant thing for the learners. Many people are not aware that learning strategies are important aspects in learning foreign language. Those learners just follow the teacher’s instruction. Only a few learners are aware the importance of language learning strategies that can make an effective way in learning the language. As many researchers like Oxford, Cohen, O’Malley and Chamot in Shmais’s journal have emphasized that effective learners used many different strategies in order to solve the problem that they face or producing the language. 25 Moreover, many earlier researchers also confirm that good learners employ language learning strategies in learning the language. 26 Using language learning strategies appropriately can make improvement in learners’ language skills. Hismanoglu stated that language learning strategies help language teachers about how their student assess their situation in learning process, plan, select skills so as to understand, learn, or remember information in the language classroom. 27 It can be viewed that language learning strategies is important aspect in learning foreign language because it is the basic aspect in 24 Ibid., pp. 146 —147. 25 Effective Learners. Retrieved from http:www.tesl-ej.orgwordpressissuesvolume7ej26ej26a3 , accessed at January 20 th , 2015, 12.57 pm. 26 Michael Lessard-Clouston, Language Learning Strategies: an Overview for L2 teachers, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. III, No. 12, 1997. 27 Murat Hismanoglu, Language Learning Strategies in Foreign Language Learning and Teaching, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VI, No. 8, 2000. learning language which can make learners improve the knowledge of the language.

E. Previous Related Studies

Many researchers already conducted about language learning strategy. In this part of discussion, the researcher explained about how this study is related to the previous study. The first study is entitled Learning Strategies Associated with Gender Differences and Strategy Choices: A Case Study of Taiwanese Students in English Medium Programs by Lee. The purpose of this study is to investigate the learners of Taiwanese learning strategies, examine the gender differences, and learning strategy according to students with different academic levels. The participants of this study were 214 Taiwanese students in the International College of Ming Chuan University MCU. This study used mixed-method approaches. The instruments involved survey which is about the participants’ background and revised questionnaire adopted from Oxford’s learning strategy SILL version 7.0 and interview. The result of this study reveals that Taiwanese college students moderately employ learning strategies in English learning. Moreover, there is significant difference in learning strategy use between female and male. Male students tend to employ more learning strategies than female counterparts. However, students with different academic levels do not have significance difference on their strategy use. In this case, the difference in this previous study with this study is the purposes. The similarity of this study, both of the previous researcher and the writer used SILL and interview as their instrument. In this study, the writer focuses on investigating the learners learning strategies based on academic level of the students, which are 4 th semester students and 6 th semester students. 28 28 Jia-Jing Lee, “Learning Strategies Associated with Gender Differences and Strategy Choices: A Case Study of Taiwanese Students in English Medium Programs, Department of Applied English, Ming Chuan University, 2010, ” Thesis, retrieved at http:ethesys.lib.mcu.edu.twETD-dbETD-searchgetfile?URN=etd-0615110- 123328filename=etd-0615110-123328.pdf.