Investigation into Learning Strategies Used by Effective and Less Effective EFL Learners in Korea

This study investigates whether or not effective learners used learning strategies differently from less effective learners in quantity as well as in quality. A total of 164 tertiary-level students learning English in Korea participated in the quantitative study, and eight students out of 164, four effective learners and four less effective earners, were chosen in the follow-up qualitative study. The quantitative study showed that effective learners used more learning strategies than less effective learners with the statistically significant but low correlation of .335 between learning strategy use and English proficiency. The qualitative study demonstrated that both effective and less effective learners, in general, actively used listening strategies to aid in listening comprehension, showing similarities as well as differences in strategy use. However, effective learners used their listening strategies more appropriately than less effective learners due to linguistic, cognitive, and affective variables which facilitated listening comprehension by intricately interacting with listening strategies. This study concludes with teaching implications and future study areas to verify these findings by different learners in different learning contexts.