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What is a Good Language Learner (2008)

Research · June 2017


DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.19813.81122

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Adrian Heinel
Ehime University
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Contents

1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
2.1 Characteristics of ‘Good Language Learners’ in Literature
2.1.1 Personality
2.1.2 Intelligence and Aptitude
2.1.3 Motivation and Attitude
2.1.4 Styles and Strategies
2.1.5 Opportunity and Environment
3 Do I Think There Is Such a Thing as a ‘Good Language Learner?’
4 Can My Students Become ‘Better’ Language Learners?
4.1 To What Extent Do I Think People Can Become Better Language Learners?
4.2 Background about the Investigation of My Students
4.2.1 One Limitation and Obstacle
4.3 Activities for Raising My Students’ Awareness of Individual Learning Strategies
4.4 Observations
5 Conclusions
6 References
7 Appendices
1 Introduction
Successfully mastering a foreign language can be a challenging endeavor. For most learners it takes
an “‘investment’ of time, effort, and attention” (Brown, 2001, p. 60). For some it can be a an uphill
struggle with little results. However, there seem to be some people who are able to pick up
languages effortlessly. Clearly, there are reasons for this discrepancy, many of which lie within the
language learners themselves.

Language learners vary greatly and “reflect a range of motivations, cultures, beliefs, learning
strategies, styles, and goals. They also differ in age, aptitude, gender and personality” (Cotterall,
2008, p. 119). Studies performed by researchers and teacher trainers have attempted to link the
degree of success in learning a foreign language with many of these individual characteristics in an
attempt to establish what makes a ‘good language learner.’ By understanding the diverse
characteristics of good language learners, teachers can “tailor their instruction” (Yamamori, Isoda,
Hiromori, & Oxford, 2003, p. 404) to enable students to get the most out of their learning
experience.

The purpose of this paper is to, first, identify the characteristics of ‘good language learners’ as they
are expressed in literature. Then I will explore my own beliefs about good language learners by
addressing the question: Do I think there is such a thing as a good language learner? Finally, I will
explore to what extent I think that it is possible for people to become better language learners and
make observations of my students and their responses to activities designed to help them improve
their language skills.

2 Literature Review
2.1 Characteristics of ‘Good Language Learners’ in Literature
Over the years various lists and explanations of characteristics of successful language learners have
been compiled (Rubin, 1975; Naiman, Frohlich, Stern & Todesco, 1996; Nunan, 1995; Brown,
2000; Brown 2001). According to Brown (2001, p. 208), good language learners characteristics are
mainly based on observations made by teachers and learners themselves. Therefore, lists vary and
it cannot be said that all successful learners will exhibit the same kinds of characteristics. One such
representative list of good language learner characteristics is the following, compiled by Rubin and
Thompson (Cited in Nunan, 1995, p. 171):

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Table 1: Good Language Learner Characteristics

1. Good learners find their own way.


2. Good learners organise information about language.
3. Good learners are creative and experiment with language.
4. Good learners make their own opportunities, and find strategies for getting practice in using
the language inside and outside the classroom.
5. Good learners learn to live with uncertainty and develop strategies for making sense of the
target language without wanting to understand every word.
6. Good learners use mnemonics (rhymes, word associations, etc. to recall what has been
learned).
7. Good learners make errors work.
8. Good learners use linguistic knowledge, including knowledge of their first language in
mastering a second language.
9. Good learners let the context (extra-linguistic knowledge and knowledge of the world) help
them in comprehension.
10. Good learners learn to make intelligent guesses.
11. Good learners learn chunks of language as wholes and formalized routines to help them
perform ‘beyond their competence’.
12. Good learners learn production techniques (e.g. techniques for keeping a conversation
going).
13. Good learners learn different styles of speech and writing and learn to vary their language
according to the formality of the situation.

Authors’ perspectives differ about which characteristics are important. For example, Lightbrown
and Spada (2001) mention that factors such as intelligence, aptitude, motivation, and attitudes are
important factors. Nunan (1995), in an investigation on forty-four good language learners, found
that the characteristics which most commonly bound them together were “Motivation, a
preparedness to take risks, and the determination to apply their developing language skill outside
the classroom” (p. 175 ). Another important characteristic is age. The Critical Period Hypothesis
suggests that there is a time in human development “when the brain is predisposed for success in
language learning” (Lightbrown & Spada, 2001, p. 36). This time is said to end around puberty.

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In the following sections I will explain in more detail the various characteristics of ‘good language
learners’ found in literature. Learner characteristics are separated into several categories. There is
some overlap of characteristics in the categories presented because, as Lightbrown and Spada
(2006) explain, “many of the characteristics cannot be assigned exclusively to one category” (p.
54).

2.1.1 Personality
Some personality variables related to successful language learners in literature are: extroversion and
introversion, inhibition, self-esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness, and responsiveness.
Brown (2000) explains how different personality factors may affect success in second language
acquisition (SLA). He suggests that learners should guess and “be willing to try out hunches about
the language and take the risk of being wrong.” (p. 149). He also indicates that empathy could be a
positive trait leading to success because, if people don’t “understand the other person’s affective
and cognitive states” (p. 153) effective communication may be difficult.

Several authors (Brown, 2000; Ellis, 1994; Lightbrown & Spada, 2001, 2006) suggest that even
though there have been many assumptions about the nature of personality and it’s connection to
SLA, very little evidence has shown a definitive relationship. Lightbrown and Spada (2001)
speculate that if there is a relationship between personality and success in language learning, it is
not only personality, but “the way in which it combines with other factors, that contributes to
second language learning” (p. 63).

2.1.2 Intelligence and Aptitude


There appear to be conflicting viewpoints in literature about how intelligence affects success in
SLA. Howard Gardner (cited in Brown, 2000, p. 100) indicates that “the notion of
intelligence...could be crucial to second language success” and describes seven forms of knowing
that may be significant for teachers (See Table 3 below).

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Table 3: Seven Forms of Intelligence

1. linguistic
2. logical-mathematical
3. spatial (the ability to find one’s way around an environment, to form mental images of
reality, and to transform them readily)
4. musical (the ability to perceive and create pitch and rhythmic patterns)
5. bodily-kinesthetic (fine motor movement, athletic prowess)
6. interpersonal (the ability to understand others, how they feel, what motivates them, how
they interact with one another)
7. intrapersonal intelligence (the ability to see oneself, to develop a sense of self-identity)

On the other hand, Brown (2000) argues that intelligence and success are not related and that
“people within a wide range of IQs (intelligence quotient) have proven to be successful in acquiring
a second language” (p. 101). According to Lightbrown and Spada (2006, p. 56) some studies report
a correlation between high IQ and successful language learners, and some do not.

It is often observed that some learners pick up languages amazingly quickly. According to
Lightbrown and Spada (2001) this is the main feature of aptitude. They indicate that aptitude
consists of abilities that are often reflected in aptitude tests such as The Modern Language Aptitude
Test (MLAT) and Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery (PLAB). These abilities are:
(1) the ability to identify and memorize new sounds;
(2) the ability to understand the function of particular words in sentences;
(3) the ability to figure out grammatical rules from language samples;
(4) and memory for new words. (p. 31)

Lightbrown and Spada (2006) suggest that people may have varying degrees of aptitude. They also
suggest that aptitude and environment may be related. They mention a study where students were
matched with “compatible teaching environments” and that when in these environments they were
able to “attain significantly higher levels of achievement than those who were mismatched” (p. 58).

2.1.3 Motivation and Attitude


Motivation and attitude are both mentioned in relation to good language learners in literature.

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According to Ellis (1994) motivation is a “powerful predictor of L2 achievement...” (p. 523). In an
investigation performed by Naiman et al. (1996) they suggest that attitude may play an even more
important role in learning a language successfully than some forms of motivation.

Brown (2000) describes two kinds of motivation: “Those who learn for their own self-perceived
needs and goals” are described as being intrinsically motivated. Those who “pursue a goal only to
receive an external reward from someone else” (p. 162) are known as being extrinsically motivated.
Ushioda (2008) suggests that intrinsic motivation is more powerful and effective than “extrinsic
forms of motivation.” (p. 21).

Another perspective of motivation is what Lightbrown and Spada (2006) call instrumental and
integrative motivation. They define instrumental motivation as “language learning for more
immediate or practical goals” and integrative motivation as “language learning for personal growth
and cultural enrichment” (p. 64).

The fact that there are two sets of seemingly similar types of motivation (intrinsic/extrinsic and
integrative/instrumental) can be confusing. Ushioda (2008) provides an explanation:
In the language learner motivation field, there has been a tendency to conflate the
intrinsic/extrinsic distinction with the integrative/instrumental distinction to some extent,
since intrinsic motivation, like integrative motivation, is found in deep-rooted personal
interests and positive feelings...However, as Gardner (1985) has made clear, both integrative
and instrumental motivational orientations are defined with reference to ultimate purposes for
learning a language (social-integrative or pragmatic purposes), and thus both constitute forms
of extrinsic motivation since the language is learned as a means to and end.” (p. 22)

Lightbrown and Spada (2001) indicate that it is not clear whether a high level of motivation induces
success, or whether it is the other way around. The correlation between motivation and success is
just as unclear as the relationship between attitude and success. Lightbrown and Spada (2006) point
out that “it is difficult to know whether positive attitudes produce successful learning or successful
learning engenders positive attitudes, or whether both are affected by other factors.” (p. 63).

2.1.4 Style and Strategies


There are various definitions of learning styles and strategies in literature (Nunan, 1995; Brown,

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2000, 2001; Lightbrown & Spada, 2001). Nunan (1995) describes learning styles as “any
individual’s preferred ways of going about learning” and learning strategies as “mental processes
which learners employ to learn and use the target language” (p 168). Brown (2001) gives a more
thorough explanation linking styles and strategies to successful language learners:
styles characterize the consistent and enduring traits, tendencies, or preferences that may
differentiate you from another person...These styles are an appropriate characterization of
how you behave in general...Strategies, on the other hand, are specific methods of
approaching a problem or task, modes of operation for achieving a particular end, or
planned designs for controlling and manipulating certain information...Strategies vary
widely within an individual, while styles are more constant and predictable...Successful
second language learners are usually people who know how to manipulate style (as well as
strategy) levels in their day-to-day encounters with the language.” (p. 210).

Lightbrown and Spada (2001, p. 35) provide a list of perceptually based learning styles (See Table
4). According to Brown (2000) successful language learners use more than one style, but tend to
prefer one style over another.

Table 4: Perceptually Based Learning Styles

visual learners
aural learners
kinesthetic learners
cognitive learning styles
field independent
field dependent

Left brain and right brain dominance learning styles are also documented factors in successful
language learning. Brown (2000) suggests that learners who are left-brain-dominant “are better at
producing separate words, gathering the specifics of language, carrying out sequences of operations,
and dealing with abstraction, classification, labeling, and reorganization” and that learners who are
right-brain dominant “appear to deal better with whole images (not with reshuffling parts), with
generalizations, with metaphors, and with emotional reactions and artistic expressions” (p. 118).

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Extensive lists of strategies can be found in literature. One such list is Rebecca Oxford’s Strategy
Inventory For Language Learning (SILL) (cited in Brown, 2001, p. 221-224). There are more
strategies in the SILL and other similar inventories than can be listed here. However, three general
forms of learning strategies that should be mentioned are metacognitive, cognitive, and
socioaffective strategies. According to Brown (2000) metacognitive strategies are those that
“involve planning for learning, thinking about the learning process as it is taking place, monitoring
of one’s production or comprehension, and evaluating learning after an activity is completed”, while
cognitive strategies are “more limited to specific learning tasks and involve more direct
manipulation of the learning material itself.” Socioaffective strategies, have to do with “social
mediating activity and interacting with others” (p. 124). According to Yamamori et al. (2003, p.
382) there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ strategies, and good language learners should try to use strategies
most relevant for each situation or task.

One final strategy used by successful language learners that is often noted in literature is tolerance
for ambiguity. Brown (2000) defines ambiguity tolerance as “the degree to which you are
cognitively willing to tolerate ideas and propositions that run counter to you own belief system or
structure of knowledge” (p. 119). Too much tolerance for ambiguity can, as Brown (1994b, p. 111)
indicates, have a negative effect, causing people to be “wishywashy” and accept almost everything
that they are presented with.

2.1.5 Opportunity and Environment


The opportunity to use the target language and the environment in which the language is learned are
also factors contributing to successful language learning in literature. According to Rubin (1975):
“the best language learning occurs in the country/region where the language is spoken or when the
language is the most common one at home” (p. 43). Norton and Toohey (2001) argue that in their
studies, the proficiency levels of their good language learners were not only connected to what they
did on their own, but also in the opportunities the communities where they lived offered them.

Lightbrown and Spada (2001) state that the interrelatedness of motivation and opportunity have
made it difficult for researchers to accurately determine which is the greater predictor of success.
According to Rubin (1979), it is not only motivation and opportunity, but several factors that are
related:
An individual with lots of natural ability and motivation but with little opportunity may

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have difficulty in acquiring a language. If opportunity is present, but there is little
motivation or poor learning skills, then we may expect that the language learning will
proceed slowly. Equally, a person with lots of natural ability and opportunity may fail to
learn because of poor motivation. (p. 44)
In other words, as Lightbrown and Spada (2006) explain, it is impossible to conclude whether it is
motivation or opportunity that is “most closely associated with success” (p. 56).

3 Do I Think There Is Such a Thing as a ‘Good Language Learner?’


In the ten years I have been teaching English I have run across many successful language learners.
All of them have shown varying degrees of mastery. They have differed not only in ability, but also
in their use of strategies and styles. The way they learned varied both individually, culturally, and
from situation to situation. As Nel (2008) points out “the dynamic nature of the individual learners
and continuously changing contextual factors make the compilation of a generic stylistic profile of
the good language learner impossible” (p. 53). In short, I do not believe there is one single profile
of a good language learner. In fact, I think ‘good’ is not best word to describe language learners, as
it seems vague. I think that perhaps ‘successful’ is a more appropriate word. In other words I think
that there are ‘good language learners,’ but I prefer to call them ‘successful language learners.’

What is success for a language learner? I believe each learner is able to become proficient in a
language in their own way and to different degrees. I do not think that native level mastery of a
language is required for language learners to consider themselves successful. Each language
learner has their own specific goals or objectives, and because of this, their learning experience will
lead to various kinds of success with a language. I also think that the rate or speed at which learners
acquire a new language is not necessarily a vital factor. I think that what defines a successful
language learner can, to some degree, be decided by the learners themselves.

Successful language learners come in all shapes and sizes and from different contexts. According
to Ellis (1994) learners “clearly differ enormously in their preferred approach to L2 learning...Quite
possibly it is learners who display flexibility who are most successful” (p. 522). They use a myriad
of, strategies, have vastly different styles, and exhibit many personality traits. They come from
different backgrounds, and learn languages for different reasons and in different environments. All
of these factors affect individual success.

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Furthermore, it is hard to say whether some of the characteristics result in success, or vice versa.
An important concept to keep in mind is that correlation does not always indicate causation. As
Lightbrown and Spada (2006) indicate:
two things tend to occur together or increase or decrease in a similar pattern does not
necessarily mean that one caused the other...Learners who are successful may indeed be
highly motivated. But can we conclude that they became successful because of their
motivation? It is also plausible that early success heightened their motivation, or that both
successful and motivation are due to their special aptitude for language learning or the
favourable context in which they are learning (p. 56).

Some researchers (Rubin, 1975; Naiman et al., 1996) who have conducted research to find out what
good language learners do, have tried to quantify what it is, exactly, that makes a good language
learner. This view that there is not just ‘a’ good language learner, but ‘the’ definitive good
language learner type, may be limiting. I do believe that understanding and attempting to measure
learner characteristics and factors that affect second language acquisition is useful for teachers and
researchers on some level. On the other hand, I also think that attempting to find out exactly what
constitutes ‘the’ good language learner to use as a model for other language learners may not be as
helpful as was previously thought. The usefulness of available research is not always clear-cut and
as Griffiths (2008) points out; the “optimism of 30 years ago, which predicted that if we could only
find out what good language learners did we could help all learners to learn successfully has given
way to the realization that the task is larger and more complicated than was thought at that point in
time...” (p. 95).

However, I do believe that there are a few specific characteristics that ‘successful language
learners’ exhibit. They make opportunities and time to learn, practice, and use the language both
inside and outside the classroom. They set achievable goals for themselves. They also have an
awareness of their own characteristics. For example, they have an awareness of their own learning
styles, strategies, and a conscious understanding of their motivations. Understanding their own
reasons for their motivational orientation, is important because, as Brown (2000) indicates, “there is
no single means of learning a second language: some learners in some contexts are more successful
in learning a language if they are integratively oriented, and others in different contexts benefit from
an instrumental orientation.” (p. 163). In my experience, if the language learner meets all of the
above conditions, they will be able to consider themselves ‘successful language learners’. Every

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language learner has their own way, and I believe that they can, with some direction and effort,
learn to define and experience success themselves. In my opinion, this is what it means to be a
‘good language learner’.

4 Can My Students Become ‘Better’ Language Learners?


4.1 To What Extent Do I Think People Can Become Better Language Learners?
Brown (2001) suggests that teachers also have a role to play in helping people become better
language learners by spending some time and effort “preparing learners to ‘receive’ the
language” (p. 208). Teachers can help people become better language learners through learner
training or strategies-based instruction. According to Nel (2008), promoting self-awareness of
individual characteristics can help learners language skills to grow.

I think that if people are exposed to a variety of strategies for successful language learning, in a
systematic way that does not overwhelm them, they can become better language learners. Some
students may not be ready to learn or assimilate some strategies because of their current language
level, but this does not mean they should not be exposed to these strategies. While advanced
learners may benefit the most from learner training, Nunan (1995) explains that “learner training
need not (and indeed should not) be restricted to advance learners” (p. 180).

Not all people will suddenly become drastically improved language learners through strategies
awareness alone. Even after some form of learner training, it is still up to the learner to apply what
they have learned. In general, though, I believe that learner training, and strategies instruction
should open learners minds to previously unseen ways of improving their language skills which,
depending on the individual, should help them become at least mildly better language learners.

4.2 Background about the Investigation of My Students


In an attempt to help my students to become better language learners and further develop their own
learning strategies, I created three activities to raise my students awareness of individual learning
strategies and conducted the activities in one of my classes. Individual learning strategies, for this
paper, can be described as techniques or exercises that people can do on their own to improve their
language ability.

My goal was to provide a specific focus and a “range of learning options and activities” (Nunan,

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1995, p. 170) for students to learn individual strategies from. The basic method of strategies
instruction I adopted was founded in ideas stemming from Chamot, and Rubin, J. (1994), who
express that
the following elements are important components of strategies instruction: (a) discover
and discuss strategies students are already using for specific learning tasks; (b) present
new strategy(ies) by explicitly naming and describing them, (c) model the strategy(ies),
(d) explain why and when the strategy(ies) can be used, and (e) provide extensive
practice with authentic tasks and opportunities for students to discuss their own
applications of the strategy(ies) and assessment of their effectiveness (p. 773).

The activities were used in one class of roughly twenty-eight Japanese prefectural university
students. The students were all eighteen to nineteen year old first year students. They were
considered to be of intermediate level by university placement testing. They were from the same
department and were majoring in the same field of study. The class was a four skills English class
with a focus on reading, and a requirement for their graduation. The class is ninety minutes long
and held once a week for fifteen weeks.

My hope was to, through learner training exercises, raise awareness of individual learning
strategies. By doing this, students could come to “discern which kinds of strategies relate best to
their learning styles, [and] goals” (Yamamori et al., 2003, p. 405). The reasoning for doing this
being that, as Lightbrown and Spada (2001) suggest, teachers should help learners to find their own
ways to learn and “use all means available to them as they work to learn another language” (p. 35).

4.2.1 One Limitation and Obstacle


In performing this investigation I encountered one limitation and one obstacle. The current
administration has a strict set of goals and objectives for each class that must be followed. This
leaves little time to perform an extended and thorough investigation, but I was able to gain support
to use roughly thirty minutes of one class to further my studies.

The main obstacle I perceived was the students’ motivation to apply what they learned in class,
outside of class. As Brown (2001, p. 59) indicates, teachers can help students in the long run by
keeping their motivations in mind. Many of my students are mainly instrumentally, or extrinsically
motivated. In other words, many students’ main reason for studying English is to pass the class so

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that they may graduate from university. They “have difficulty seeing the relevance of learning
English” (Brown, 2001, p. 117). In their daily life there are few opportunities for them to use
English, and many of them do not see the value of it for their future. Therefore, I foresaw that
individual learning strategies would be most useful for the few intrinsically motivated, but I hoped
that it would spark some intrinsic motivations in the others.

4.3 Activities for Raising My Students’ Awareness of Individual Learning Strategies


To raise my students awareness of individual learning strategies I conducted three activities. When
designing the activities I tried to focus on one specific kind of strategies instruction but vary the
activities and make them as cooperative as possible (Lightbrown and Spada, 2006, p. 65).

The first activity, meant to be used as a warm-up activity, was an individual strategies pair work
questionnaire (See Appendix 1). After a brief explanation of what individual learning strategies
were, an individual strategies inventory questionnaire was given to each student. The students used
this to interview each other in pairs, and gave each other some advice. This activity was meant to
help the students understand exactly what individual learning strategies are and to become aware of
some existing strategies.

The second activity was a collaborative group brainstorming activity meant to allow the students to
further develop their awareness of individual learning strategies in a creative, open ended way.
After the pair work interview, I wrote several words on the blackboard: mirror, CD player,
computer, notebook, cell phone, and map. The students were then asked to think of some individual
learning strategies they could use these items for. After that, the students reported on their findings
to the whole class. Through this activity students could see how they might use some of the things
around them in their daily life to improve their language skills.

Finally, as the main focus of the class was reading, I gave the students a reading exercise (see
Appendix 2) about several successful language learners and the individual learning strategies they
used to improve their language skills. The students were given the reading for homework, and after
reading they had to answer several questions about the reading and the class in general.

4.4 Observations

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First of all, the students answers to the individual learning strategies pair work questionnaire
revealed that they had various individual strategies preferences. No students chose any strategy as
something that they always did. Of the eight students that reported doing a strategy often, there was
no one strategy that was chosen most often over any other. Nearly every student reported using at
least one or two strategies sometimes, but again, there was no discernible pattern that showed
students preferred one strategy over another. For the majority of the strategies, students selected
rarely or never, but there were no strategies that students consistently selected never for. The
highest total score was a 30, and the lowest a 14 with seven people in the 14-19 range and twenty-
one people in the 20-30 point range. The average score came out to 21.75. This indicates that the
majority of students in the class do use some individual strategies on their own, but could use more.

Overall, based on the written student responses (See Appendix 3) and my general impression, the
first activity was interesting for my students, and reflected the idea that “good language learners do
not necessarily use the same language strategies. Even if they use the same strategies, they may not
use them for the same purposes nor in the same way” (Cohen, Paige, Kappler, Demmessie, Weaver,
Chi, & Lassegard, 2003, p. 31). My students seemed to be aware of most of the strategies on the
questionnaire, but several students realized that listening to other people talk, and talking to oneself
were strategies they had never thought of, and could use. I think the activity was successful in
making the students aware of a variety of strategies that they could use to improve their English on
their own.

The second activity proved useful in showing the students that “there are choices, not only in what
to learn but also in how to learn” (Nunan, 1995, p. 180). Students engaged in discussion with each
other, and came up with some interesting uses for some of the items. Some of the ideas they came
up with were; using a map to learn the spellings of different place names, using a cellphone to
download English songs and lyrics, and a computer to write English email to their friends. After the
class I talked with two of the students about the activity and they gave positive feedback on the
activity. They told me that they especially enjoyed working cooperatively and talking with their
friends in groups.

Based on the student responses (See Appendix 3) I believe that the third activity encouraged my
students to be “more flexible in their approaches to learning, and to experiment with a range of
learning experiences” (Nunan, 1995, p. 180). Many students commented that they thought the

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reading was interesting because they could learn some different ways to enjoy learning English.
The responses from the students about the reading activity’s usefulness seemed to indicate that it
motivated them to try to study more on their own, and in their own way. I think that if the readings
were based on real accounts of people’s experience, and gave more details, it would have benefited
them even more.

The students responses to studying individual learning strategies seemed to confirm what I
expected. For the most part the students found that individual learning strategies are something that
they would like to try to do more. They also understood that there are various ways to study and, as
Cohen et all. (2003) indicates, that no “single set of strategies will be appropriate for all learners or
for all tasks. Students need to learn how to apply strategies according to what actually works for
them” (p. 32).

Based on the feedback I received from my students, and my own observations my students became
more aware of some different individual learning strategies, which should help them to become
better language learners. The fact remains, though, that they are taking the class because it is
required, and the majority of them don’t have the opportunity, need, or motivation to do any more
than study English for the purpose of passing the class. I think until a follow-up survey can be
given to the students at the end of the semester, it will be difficult to see exactly how beneficial
teaching individual learning strategies was. Nonetheless, I believe that the activities gave the
students skills in “learning how to learn” (Nunan 1995, p. 188), and I sincerely hope that they take
what they learned and use it outside of class.

5 Conclusions
In this paper I have shown, both in literature and by exploring my beliefs, what can be considered
‘good language learners.’ I have examined the factors that I think make successful language
learners and have come to the conclusion that even though there is no shortcut to learning languages
it is possible for people to become better language learners. I have also shown that, as Yamamori et
al. (2003) confirm, many routes exist that lead to “success in learning a foreign language” (p. 407).

By conducting activities in my own classroom and recording my observations I found that


strategies use differs from one language learner to the next and that learners need to understand and
use their own strategies in their own personal way (Chamot & Rubin, 1994). To help learners

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become aware of their own way, I believe that teachers have an important role to play. They should
assist learners in taking “a growing responsibility for the management of their own learning...we
have to prepare them so that their learning can continue outside” (Nunan, 1995, p. 185). Finally, I
would like to close with a quote from Griffiths (2008): “We still have alot to learn about what it is
that makes for a good language learner” (p. 95).

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References
Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (4th ed). New York:
Longman.

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Appendices

Appendix 1

Individual Learning Strategies Pair Work Questionnaire


How often do you do the following activities? Circle a number from 1-5.
5 Always 4 Often 3 Sometimes 2 Rarely 1 Never

How often do you ...


Watch English dramas, movies, or the news
Listen to NHK English Radio or English music
Sing songs in English
Listen to other people speaking English
Practice speaking by yourself
Listen to English language lessons on CD and practice repeating
Read out loud
Try skimming an English reading
Try scanning an English reading
Read English books (or comic books)
Guess the meaning of something you read from the context
Practice free-writing in an English diary

Total Score

1-19 You don’t use very many strategies. It will take more time, but if you work hard
outside of class you can improve your English. Good luck!
20-39 You use some individual strategies, but you could practice a little more on your own.
40-60 You use many individual strategies. You are on your way to English Success!

Think of some advice for you partner. What could they do in their free time to improve
their English on their own? Give your partner your advice.

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Appendix 2

Read the following 3 stories about successful individual language learners.

1.
Tom, a foreign student living in Germany was a successful language learner. Whenever
he was free he would watch German TV, or DVDs. When he watched movies, he
wouldn’t watch with subtitles. Sometimes he would hear a word several times, and if he
thought that maybe it was important, he would look it up in the dictionary, or ask a
German friend or teacher what the meaning of the word was. He would then write the
word in a notebook and review the words by saying them to himself out loud on his daily
walk to school.

2.
Hisae was Japanese university student at a public university in Japan. Every day since she
was a high school student, she would listen English lessons on the radio for 30 minutes
after dinner. The lessons were entertaining, and she enjoyed them very much. She was
able to listen to native speakers talk every day, and as a result, she became very good at
listening.

3.
Mark was an English teacher living in Osaka, but he loved to study Japanese. Every day,
on the way to work, Mark would read a comic book on the train. Sometimes he would
read just for fun and finish a whole comic book in one day. Other times he would look up
every word he didn’t know in a dictionary and write it down in a notebook. Mark’s
vocabulary grew more and more every year, and he was able to enjoy reading many
Japanese comic books!

Please answer the following questions about the reading, write on a piece of notebook
paper:

1) Were there any vocabulary that you didn’t understand?


2) What percent were you able to understand?
3) Did you find the stories interesting? Why? Why not?
4) Were the stories useful? Why? Why not?
5) Do you have any questions for your teacher?

Please answer the following questions about today’s class:

1) Did you find studying about individual learning strategies useful? Why? Why not?
2) What are 3 individual learning strategies you would like to try?
3) Do you think that after today’s class you will use more individual learning strategies?
Why? Why not?

PG/08/09 19
Appendix 3
Student Responses
1) Did you find the stories interesting? Why? Why not?
• I thought No. 3 story was interesting because I like comic books.
• Yes, I did. I like reading about experiences story.
• Yes, I do. I know a lot of ways to learn foreign languages.
• Yes, I did. Because Mark read Japanese comic and study Japanese. I would like to do this way
to study!
• Yes, I did. Mark resembles me. I like that I read a English comic book.
• This reading was interesting. Because I was able to know various learning methods.
• Second stories is interesting for me. Because I think I can do it.
• Yes, I did. Because I found that to enjoy is the best way to learn foreign languages.
• Yes, I did. Because I wanted to know ways how to study other languages.
• The stories was interesting, because I was able to know some successful individual learning
strategies.
• this sentence is very interesting. I don’t study hard enough.
• The stories was intersting. Because there ware many way to study foreign language.
• No, I didn’t. Because I never feel that. for example, I felt that grammar and vocabulary grew
very well for me in highschool, but ability of listening didn’t progress.
• this stories was little interesting. Because I thought learning ways were interesting.
• No. Because stories are not real.
• Yes I did. I interested in third story. Because I thought that I’ll enjoy to learn language.
• Yes, I did. I could find the point of studying foreign language in those stories.
• I find the stories interesting. Because I can know how to study.

2) Were the stories useful? Why? Why not?


• They were useful because I thought I also tried.
• Maybe, I can practice.
• The reading was very useful for me. Because I am interesting in learning individual language.
• Yes, it was. Because I would like to try to the way to study.
• Yes, they were. I can use the way of No. 2. I had listened to the English CD when I was high
school students.
• This reading was useful for me because I have thought even I can do.
• Second stories is useful. Because it is my weak point that listen to native speakers talk.
• Yes, all stories. Because every stories give new discovery and fun to me.
• The stories were useful. Because I think I can scceed to do same successful language learner.
• Yes they were. Because I am studying foreign language by the strategies.
• Yes they were. Because I knew new way of studying.
• this soties was useful. Because there are a lot of how to learn.
• Yes. Because I understood that I could learn language the variety of ways and I’m felt like
studying by using around things.
• The stories is useful. I want to try comic books in English.
• this sentence is very useful. I neglect my studies all the time. I read this sentence. I want me to
do some soul-searching about this.
• The stories was very useful, because I think that I try the ways when I study English.
• These stories are useful for me. Because I could know many ways to learn other languages.

3) Did you find studying about individual learning strategies useful? Why? Why not?
PG/08/09 20
• Yes, I did. I could know about many learning styles.
• I know how to learn foreign languages.
• Yes, I did. Because I need to do tough battle to study English, but I found interesting the way to
study English.
• Yes, I did. Using mirror is interesting. I will enjoy it.
• Yes, I did. I want listen English lessons on the radio, too.
• Yes I do, because I want to English ability.
• Yes, I did. Because I felt to be able to study English things around me.
• It is useful for me. Because I could know how to study English on my own.
• Yes I did. I want to listen to English music.
• I don’t know learning strategies useful.
• Very useful. Each of the people has a means of studying. I think that each studys suits 3
people’s taste perfectly.
• yes I did. Because I found good strategies.
• Today’s class was useful for me, because I could find individual learning strategies.
• yes, I did. Because I became to study English by various ways.
• It was useful for me. Because I heard little to study English from other people.
• Yes, I did. Because I could get information in a short time.

4) What are 3 individual learning strategies you would like to try?


• map, cell phone, computer
• I would like to send E-mail in English, listen to music of English and guide myself in English.
• When I watch movies, I won’t watch with subtitles. I will listen to English lesson on the radio.
• Reading English books, watching English TV, Imitating English books.
• Radio, read a comic book, watch English DVD.
• Radio, cell phone, English book.
• English diary, English lesson on the radio, listen to English song.
• I would like to try to CD player, mirror and map.
• I don’t know learning strategic, but I think consulting a dictionary, reading, speaking.
• I would like to try computer and cell phone, listen music.
• To listen to music. To listen English lessons on the radio. To watch English movies.
• Listen to NHK English Radio or English music. Listen to other people speaking English.
Practice free-writing in an English diary.
• I like listening on the radio. It’s very interesting.
• Watch English dramas, movies, or the news. Listen to NHK English radio or English music.
Listen to other people speaking English.
• Watch English movies, Listen to music in English, Listen to other people speak English
• Listen to NHK English Radio or english music, Read out loud, Read English books (comic
books)
• I would like to try watch English dramas, sing songs in English and listen to other people
speaking English.

5) Do you think that after today’s class you will use more individual learning strategies?
Why? Why not?
• I think because English is very important and I try to take an exam like English certificate exam,
TOEIC, GTEC
•No, I don’t. I can’t have chance, so I think that I practice the first opportunity.
•Yes, I do. Because I found the nice way to study.

PG/08/09 21
•Yes, I do. I used map and explained the way to my house from university by myself.
•Yes, I did. I listen to music. Because I like music.
•I love English music. So I will listen to English music.
•Yes, I did. Because I want to get in English ability.
•Yes. Because I want to English good.
•I will use it. Because I want to be good at English.
•Yes, I do. Because I want to go foreign country in the feauture, I want to study English more hard
•Yes, I do. Because I want to progress English.
•Yes, I do. Because I like English movies very much, and I think that I listen to English words
conscious next.
•Today’s class is very interesting. I concentrated my attention on class.
•yes I do. Watching English movies, listening to English music is so easy to start for me.
•I think that I will use more individual learning strategies. Because I have to study English at home.
•I can’t decide. Sorry.
•I try to use little more time individual learning strategies. Because I am busy to do part-time job.
However, I think English skill is very important.

PG/08/09 22

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