Abstract
This study investigates JFL (Japanese as a Foreign Language) learners' learning strategies by their ways of using the Sound-Hint of Computer-Based Drill. Twenty one foreign students participated in this study and they were divided into two groups (the upper and the lower) by their abilities. They studied Japanese grammar, Kanji, vocabulary through Computer-Based Drill for four months, then their records of using soundhint were collected. T-test was employed to analyze the average numbers of the sound-hint used in CAI material between two groups and the timing of using sound-hint was compared between two groups. The results showed that significant differences were found between two groups on the numbers of using soundhint in their use of grammar and vocabulary drills, and there were some differences on the timing of using sound-hint between two groups. The conclusion was that the difference found in this study comes from the difference of students' use of learning strategies. Further study is needed to investigate the effect of instruction of sound-hint usage to poor learners.
