1 a. education b. 1 .

Does the overall language learning strategy use as revealed by the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) vary by ethnicity and language proficiency level of Taiwanese nursing students? 2. Does the use of six types of language learning strategies (including memory, cognitive, metacognitive, compensation, affective and social strategies) on the SILL vary by ethnicity and language proficiency level of Taiwanese nursing students? 2 a. No, because the research invetigating athnicity and profisiency groups use, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) was administrated to 451 junior college students at Chang Gung Institute of Technology in Taiwan. b. Language learning strategies are specific actions or techniques that learners use to assist their progress in developing second or foreign language skills (Oxford, 1990). Language learning strategies are believed to play a vital role in learning a second language, as they may assist learners in mastering the forms and functions required for reception and production in the second language and thus affect achievement (Bialystok, 1979). c. It was found that ethnicity did play a significant role in the selection of language learning strategies. Language proficiency influenced learners use of language learning strategies. More proficient students reported using strategies more often than less proficient students. In addition, the most and least favored strategies of various ethnic and proficiency groups were identified. Understanding students strategy use may enable EFL teachers to incorporate language learning strategy training in English lessons at junior college levels and ultimately improve students English language skills. 3. a. Among the 461 students, there were 165 aboriginal students and 296 non-aboriginal students. These young aborigines lived and received their junior high school education in mountainous areas, in remote eastern Taiwan and the offshore Orchid Island before they were admitted to the junior college. In these wild surroundings, they have developed a culture vastly different from that of non-aboriginal people, with different languages, concepts, customs, values and lifestyles. b. this research design use Qualitative design. c. - population: Among the 461 students, there were 165 aboriginal students and 296 nonaboriginal students,

sample:

Table 2: Means, Standard Deviations and Range of Test Scores for the 2 Ethnic Groups and 3 Proficiency Levels Ethnicity/Level Aborigines Non-aborigines Total Low Mean S. D. 100.1 12.04 106.6 6.76 101.4 11.39 Intermediate Mean S.D. 136.8 9.70 144.0 8.68 141.4 9.68 High Mean S.D. 170.7 7.17 178.3 9.29 177.2 9.37 Total Mean S. D. 129.0 23.8 153.9 21.24 144.1 25.25 Range Lower Upper 72.5 182.5 97.5 195 72.5 195

The test scores for the different groups of students are shown in Table 2. Table 2 average score of the aboriginal students is 129 out of 200, the SD is 23.8 and the range is 72.5 to 182.5. The average score of the non-aboriginal students is 153.9 out of 200, the SD is 21.24 and the range is 97.5 to 195. The mean of the high proficiency group was 177.2 out of 200, the SD is 9.37 and the range is 162.5 to 195. The mean of the intermediate proficiency group was 141.4 out of 200, and the SD is 9.68 and the range is 120 to 160. The mean of low proficiency group was 101.4 out of, and the SD is 11.39 and the range is 72.5 to 117.5. The standard deviation of the aboriginal students was 23.8; the standard deviation of the non-aboriginal students was 21.24. The scores for aboriginal students were more spread than those for non-aboriginal students.

d. Data Collection Administering the Test The subjects were given the listening comprehension test first. One week before the mid-term exam week in November 2004, the ten classes took the listening test in language laboratories of the school during their regular class sessions. In the beginning, the English teacher. the students a Chinese explanation of the purposes of the test, reminding them that they should write down their answers on the answer sheet. The audiotape of the listening test was 40 minutes long. The listening test took about 50 minutes for each class. Later, during the mid-term exam week, the subjects completed the reading test under the subjects teachers supervision. The reading test took approximately 50 minutes for each class.

Administering the SILL The data on the language learning strategy questionnaire were collected after the midterm week of fall 2004. A brief explanation of the purpose of the study was given. The questionnaire was administered to all subjects by the English teachers during the English class. The students were informed that their responses to the questionnaires would be kept confidential and would have no effect on their course grades. The completed questionnaires were collected right after the subjects completed them. Of the 461 completed questionnaires, ten were discarded: six had no corresponding scores on the English mid-term exam and four were incomplete. As a result, only 451 questionnaires were subjected to statistical analysis. Among the subjects, 165 (36.6%) were aboriginal students and 286 (63.4%) weree non-aboriginal students

Data Analysis The data gathered from the English proficiency test was analyzed. Each subjects responses to the test sentences were given scores. A correct response was given 2.5 points and an incorrect response was given no points. The total possible score was 200. On the basis of teaching objectives of the General English Reading and English Listening courses, these three groups stand for different levels of English achievement. Those students who scored higher than 160 had adequate vocabulary size, and syntactic knowledge to understand simple reading paragraphs, and were able to understand simple questions, answers, simple conversations. Those who scored from 120 to 160 were able to understand simple reading paragraphs, questions, answers, simple conversations, yet some misunderstandings still arose due to limited vocabulary size and syntactic knowledge. Those who scored lower than 120 did not have adequate vocabulary size and syntactic knowledge to understand simple reading paragraphs, and could not understand simple questions, answers, and simple conversations. Based on the scores of the subjects English mid-term exam, they were divided into three proficiency groups. The high proficiency group refers to subjects who scored higher than and the low proficiency group refers to those who scored lower than 120. Those who scored from 120 to 160 belonged to the intermediate proficiency group. Moreover, descriptive statistics including means and standard deviations were computed to summarize the students responses to the English proficiency test.

Table 1 shows the distribution of the aboriginal and non-aboriginal students at each proficiency level. Table 1 - The Distribution of the Subjects by Ethnic Group and Proficiency Level Ethnicity/Level Non-aborigines Aborigines Total
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High 98 16 114

Intermediate 174 99 273

Low 14 50 64

Total 286 165 451

Subjects responses to the items on the SILL were given scores on the basis of five-point

Likert scale. Subjects who chose never true of me gained 1, usually not gained 2, somewhat gained 3, usually gained 4, always gained 5. Then the total scores for each student were calculated. Means and standard deviations were computed to determine the students overall strategy use. Then, a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was computed to find out whether there were significant differences in the means of strategy use across the entire SILL by (the dependent variable) ethnicity and proficiency (the independent variables). Likewise, a two-way ANOVA was used to find out whether there were significant differences in means of strategy use in the six SILL categories by ethnicity and proficiency. Then, Scheffe test, a post hoc comparison procedure, was used to determine where the specific significant differences exist (for example, between which of the three proficiency levels). The probability level of significance for ANOVA was set at.05.
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sampling technique: purposive sampling. Because findings of the study may help

English teachers overcome the challenge of teaching heterogeneous groups in an EFL college classroom in Taiwan. Second, the learning strategies used by more proficient college learners might be instructed to less proficient college learners.

e. Questionnaire To collect data on language learners learning strategies and individual background, an English learning strategy questionnaire, which was composed of Oxfords (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and author-designed questions were administered to the participants. Administering the Test The subjects were given the listening comprehension test first. One week before the mid-term exam week in November 2004, the ten classes took the listening test in language laboratories of the school during their regular class sessions. In the beginning, the English teachers gave the students a Chinese explanation of the purposes of the test, reminding them that they should write down their answers on the answer sheet.

Test

A. Age: B. How long have you studied English (including self-study and taking private English courses) ? Year(s) (1) Not at all (1) None Yes No (2) Not much (2) Not much which country Month(s) (3) Medium (3) Medium (4) Much (4) Much (5) Very much (5) Very much year (s) month (s) C. In general, do you like learning English? D. In general, how much effort do you spend in learning English? E. Have you ever stayed in a country where English is the native language ? how long