5 Factors Affecting LLS Usage

by : Norazlina binti Ab Karim P66433

FACTOR #1: SOCIAL ECO STATUS● SES plays a role in determining LLS usage [The National

Child Development Study (1972) cited in Azizi et al. (2005); Hess & Shipman (1970) ; Santrock (2004); OECD (2010)]

● Higher economic status families are able to provide conducive study rooms, reading material etc hence children appears to have higher cognitive ability compared to those from lower SES [The National Child Development Study (1972) cited in Azizi et al. (2005)]

● Parents’ academic background & family income are commonly used as variables in related studies

FACTOR #1: SOCIAL ECO STATUS

Social Economic background

Family Acad. background● Parents with higher acad background provide

mental & physical support for childrens’ physiology & cognitive development [Kamarul Syukri & Mohamed Amin (2010)]

● Significant relationship shown between parents academic background and use of LLS [Mohd Nazli (1999) ; Mohd Nazli et al (1999); Faizahani (2002); Kamarul Syukri & Mohamed Amin (2009) ]

Family income● Parents with higher/ stable income affect LLS use

[Mohd Nazli (1999) ; Mohd Nazli et al (1999); Zamri et al (2003); Kamarul Syukri & Mohamed Amin (2009) ]

FACTOR #2: EXPERIENCE IN STUDYING ENG

● may affect the choice of LLS used in learning a language

● experience in studying Eng affects LLS usage [Purdie & Oliver (1999); Taguchi (2002)]

● Study done on 3 groups: Asian, European and Arab bilingual school-aged children [Purdie & Oliver (1999)]

● Study reveals students who have been in Australia for a longer period of time showed higher mean scores for cognitive strategies and for memory strategies [Purdie & Oliver (1999); Taguchi (2002)]

FACTOR #3: AgeGraham (1997) Scarcella & Oxford (1995)

Ehrman & Oxford (1995)Chen (1994)

adult learner has more experience & contextual knowledge compared to young learner

Adult learner has more advantage in terms of syntax and morphology [Scarcella & Oxford (1995)] and is also quick at learning grammar & new vocabulary [Ehrman & Oxford (1995)]

No significant relationship shown between age and LLS usage

Uses more strategies in learning a language

This is due to the close age gap (12-17 years old) and small sample used for certain age group

Young learner uses simple & easy strategies while adult learner is flexible at using both general & sophisticated strategies [Ehrman & Oxford (1995)]

However young learner can achieve near native proficiency better than adult learner

Young learner can achieve near native proficiency better than adult learner [Scarcella & Oxford (1995)]

FACTOR #4: GENDER LLS

[Ehrman & Oxford (1989)

Green & Oxford (1995)

Politzer (1983)

Oxford & Nyikos (1989)

Wharton (2000)

Zamri (2000)

Tran (1988)

Chang (1990)

Osanai (2000)

Significant difference shown between gender and LLS Usage

Chao (2002)

Kamarul Syukri & Mohamed Amin

(2009)

No significant difference shown between gender

and LLS UsageWharton (2000)Significant

difference shown between gender

with certain strategy usage

Oxford (1994)

Bacon (1992)

Factor #5: STATUS OF TARGET LANG

● Status of language learnt influences students’ LLS usage [Kamarul Syukri & Mohamed Amin (2009)

● Language learning environment between L1, L2, L3 differs from one another [Oxford & Shearin (1994)]

● Studies on LLS usage among L2 & L3 English lang learners show more strategies being employed by L2 English lang learners thanL3 English lang learners [Oxford & Burry-Stock (1995)].

● Reason : L3 English language learners perceive less use of the target language in their everyday life

● Status of Arabic language as L2, L3 differs among scholars [Kamarulzaman et al 2002; Nurazan (2004) ; Nik Mohd Rahimi (2005), Azlina (1998)] thus influencing LLS usage while learning the language