Recent research has identified a strong link between learning styles (i.e., general approaches to language learning or problem-solving) and learning strategies (i.e., specific behaviors or actions used by the learner to improve the learning process), revealing that, when allowed to learn in their favorite way, learners often use strategies which directly reflect their own learning style. For instance, global learners usually choose holistic strategies such as guessing, scanning, and predicting, whereas analytic learners prefer strategies like contrastive analysis and rule-learning. Extroverted learners, who like group work, frequently employ social strategies, while introverted learners, who prefer to work alone, do not usually use sociallyoriented behaviors. Visually-oriented students use such strategies as listing, while auditory students like to work with tapes and practice aloud (cf. Oxford et al., 1992). Research has shown that various factors besides learning style influence second language learner's choice of learning strategies. Among them are motivation, academic orientation, sex, age, nature of task, and cultural background. It has been found that more motivated students use more strategies than less motivated students; students majoring in engineering tend to use more analytic strategies than humanities students; females use more strategies (as well as more social strategies) than males; and Asian second language learners seem to prefer rote memorization strategies, reflecting one aspect of effects of cultural background on strategy choice (cf. Oxford, 1989; Oxford & Nyikos, 1989; Oxford et al., 1988, 1993). Implications of learning strategy research findings for classroom instruction include: (a) teachers can help students identify their own current learning strategies through such verbalreport techniques as diary-keeping, interviews, and questionnaires, and (b) teachers can integrate strategy training with regular classroom activities, giving explicit directions about how to use various strategies and apply them to new situations and tasks. Research on Japanese students' learning strategies is sadly lacking. It is expected that future research will focus more on this area for obtaining intriguing insights into how Japanese foreign language learners help themselves learn.
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