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VOLUME XV, NUMBER 25

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD), COLLEGE OF EDUCATION,

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN « WITH SUPPORT FROM THE W K KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION

 

Wanted: Strategic, Self-Regulated Foreign Language Learners

Why are the task demands of foreign language learning
so difficult for many college-level students to conquer?
What are the unique task demands associated with
language learning that face foreign language leamers? For
many students, learning a foreign language may seem
similar to other academic learning, e.g., they must attend
class, assimilate new information, and budget their time
for study outside of the classroom. Yet, if you were to ask
those students who are enrolled in foreign language
classes if they believe that learning a foreign language was
a different kind of learning than that associated with other
academic classes, I would suspect that they would
consider language learning to be a unique undertaking.

Most college-level language instructors would affirm
that the major purpose of enrolling in a language class is
the development of optimal communicative proficiency in
the foreign language. On the other hand, college-level
foreign language students will have quite different and
divergent motivations and/or goals for enrolling ina
foreign language class. Perhaps some are there primarily
to complete the minimum language requirement in order
to receive a degree. Others may want to learn the lan-
guage to better their employment opportunities. Some
older learners may be in class for the intellectual stimulus.
Nevertheless, this diverse group must be given maximum
opportunities for success and achievement.

The Unique Demands of Language Learning

For many students the sometimes intense demand that
English be used only sporadically in the foreign language
class may cause stress; and instructor demands for early
oral production in the foreign language may increase
students’ levels of anxiety. There may be student beliefs
or misconceptions about how foreign languages are
learned which may negatively impact their learning.

Therefore, from the onset of language learning, it is
important for the language instructor to know something
of students’ goals and current beliefs about language
study. An assessment questionnaire such as the FLLASSI
(Foreign Language Learning and Study Strategies Inven-
tory) (Dies, 1992), the BALLI (Beliefs About Language
Learning Inventory) (Horwitz, 1983), or an instructor-
generated questionnaire about language learning may
prove to be valuable in aiding students to become more

aware of the unique demands associated with language
learning. This assessment should help the instructor to
aid the students by pinpointing areas where incomplete,
erroneous information or beliefs exist about language
learning and language learning tasks; which existing
learning strategies will be applicable for language learning
tasks; and a brief appraisal of the learner’s current goals or
attitudes related to foreign language learning. As students
become more aware of themselves as learners in general,
they should have more opportunities to develop appropri-
ate, efficient, and effective strategies for dealing with the
unique demands of language learning.

Self-Regulation and the Language Learner
Self-regulation refers to the degree that leamers are
aware of themselves as learners and the actions that they

take to learn more effectively. Unfortunately, many
language instructors concern themselves exclusively with
delivering linguistic input in the foreign language to their
students. They profess to having neither the time nor
inclination for student strategy or study skills training to
help their students be more successful.

Skill and proficiency in foreign language require
learmers to assimilate the target language through rich
sources of linguistic input. However, without the student
being a very active, knowledgeable, and willing partici-
pant in the process, it is unlikely that optimal foreign
language proficiency will be acquired.

Consequently, foreign language learners must be given
opportunities for developing strategies that will optimize
the attainment of acceptable skill levels. Foreign language
instructors must be attuned to their students’ needs and
help them develop appropriate learning strategies and
study skills that facilitate the process.

During initial exposure to a foreign language, learning
task demands may seem overwhelming. The develop-
ment of appropriate and diverse strategies to deal with
these task demands will require practice and diligence if
the strategies are to become a permanent part of the
learner's strategy repertoire. Once the strategies become
more automatic, learners will derive the greatest benefits
from them. Self-regulated foreign language learners use
self-evaluation and monitoring of the effectiveness of
strategy use as an important element during the language

 

 

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)
Community College Leadership Program, Department of Educational Administration
College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712