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This study investigated the use of language learning strategies (LLS) by Australian students and East Asian students in Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) learning, and then interpreted the findings from cultural and educational perspectives. Using a questionnaire and semi-structure interview, the researchers found that there were significant differences in strategy use between Australian students and East Asian students. The East Asian students employed more learning strategies associated with working hard and perseverance, whereas the Australian students used more learning strategies related to self-realization. Meanwhile, the strategies used more frequently by the East Asian students were relevant to high acceptance of power and authority, but the strategies used more often by the Australian students were associated with low acceptance of power and authority. Finally, the traditional teaching methods used in East Asian countries resulted in the students’ use of learning strategies concerning analysis of grammatical rules and linguistic details, but the communicative approach employed in Australia helped the students use the strategies leading to improvement of communicative competence and understanding of overall meaning in a text. A deep analysis of these findings shows that the disparities in students’ strategy use could be linked to some cultural and educational factors.

The effects of training in brainstorming strategy on learners' performance and perceptions about writing were studied on learners who received instruction in brainstorming. The instruction that was provided is described and the findings of the effects show that explicit instruction of brainstorming strategy had a measurable influence on writing performance and that students felt positive about the brainstorming strategy.

The research reported here investigated the effects of contextual factors on Chinese students’ use of language learning strategies in English learning. The study differed from most of the previous studies on learning strategies in that the data were examined within Biggs (1993. What do inventories of students’ learning processes really measure? A theoretical review and clarification. British Journal of Educational Psychology63. 3–19.) 3P (Presage, Process and Product) model of learning. Using a Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (Oxford, R. L. 1990. Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. New York: Newbury House Publishers.) and interview, the researchers discovered the disparities in the use of learning strategies in English learning between the students from urban schools and those from rural schools. The former made a more frequent use of the strategies leading to the improvement of communicative competence and active involvement in classroom activities, whereas the latter showed a strong preference for the strategies relevant to the analysis of grammatical rules and linguistic details. An in-depth analysis of the data revealed that the differences in strategy use between the two groups might stem from some social and economic factors and could be linked to three elements in Biggs’ 3P model: value and expectation, teacher competence and teaching facilities. The article concludes by discussing some implications for English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching in Chinese schools and other similar education settings worldwide.

This study investigates the perceptions of error gravity by native and non-native teachers of English in a Chinese context. Drawing on the data collected from a questionnaire, we examined the practices of error evaluation by 22 native English-speaking (NES) teachers and 25 non-native English-speaking (NNES) teachers. Participants were asked to identify student errors based on a random selection of fifty compositions written by Chinese university students, correct the errors of the sentences, and indicate which errors they considered the most serious. General comparison of error evaluation between the two groups of teachers reveals that NES teachers are generally more tolerant of student errors and rely more on intelligibility rather than rule infringement. An in-depth analysis of these findings suggests that these differences are closely connected with the participants’ cultural belief, educational background, teaching style, and English proficiency.

AbstractFollowing a clarification of the relationship between learning styles, learning strategies and cultural factors that help shape them, the article presents the results of a free-writing questionnaire that asked 28 native English teachers to express their views on Chinese students’ learning styles and strategies. Inductive analysis of these free-writings indicated that Chinese students had certain types of learning styles and strategies, which were closely related to their traditional education pattern and cultural values. After tracing the origins of the cultural influence on the students’ learning styles and strategies, the article offers some practical suggestions, which might be beneficial to English teachers in China as well as those teachers who teach English in the same situation worldwide.

The article focuses on several ways how to reduce style conflicts between teachers and students in English classes. It recommends that both teachers and students should use instruments to determine their own learning styles. It mentions the final approach to reduce style conflicts which is to restructure groupwork within particular frameworks.

The article offers information on the testing the oral communication skills of students in a large class with the help of role plays, and mentions that role plays helps to enhance the verbal ability of students. Topics discussed include dividing students into groups with a mixture of strong and weak students; providing topics to students such as travel; inviting students to present role plays in a scheduled time; and grading students on the basis of their oral performance.