Chapter 5 – Metacognition and Metacognitive Strategies
Chapter 5 – Metacognition and Metacognitive Strategies
Language Learning Strategies
Addy Orsi; Bibi Halima; and Keli Yerian
Preview questions
- What are learning strategies, and why are they useful?
- What is the difference between direct and indirect strategies?
Making your goals SMART is one highly recommended strategy for making them successful. But your goals can be further supported by many other learning strategies, according to your needs and interests. Let’s explore some possibilities.
What are Learning Strategies?
Learning strategies can be used in all areas of our lives, not just in a school context. Learning strategies are any procedures that learners employ in order to learn something (Wong & Nunan, 2011). Strategies used to learn languages specifically can be defined as, “Thoughts and actions, consciously chosen and operationalized by language learners, to assist them in carrying out a multiplicity of tasks from the very onset of learning to the most advanced levels of target-language performance” (Cohen, 2011, p. 7). Why do we need these strategies? Wong & Nunan (2011) write that, “Learning strategies enable students to take more responsibility for their own language learning and personal development” (p. 145). In other words, strategies are your own personal support system that you can manage yourself.
Indirect and Direct Learning Strategies
Learning strategies can be divided into strategies that directly help you learn something and strategies that more indirectly support your learning process. Oxford (1990) classifies these as direct vs. indirect strategies.
- Direct strategies, for example, include memorizing, analyzing, reasoning, and guessing intelligently. These are procedures that learners can apply to the specific things they are learning.
- Indirect strategies, on the other hand, include examples such as evaluating one’s learning, managing emotions, and cooperating with others. These are strategies that are not directly related to the thing you are learning, but can make your environment and process more conducive to learning.
The tables below show the three categories of direct learning strategies and the three categories of indirect strategies proposed by Oxford (1990). We have added examples for each type that are specific to language learning.
Direct Strategies
| Category | Methods | Example Language Learning Strategies |
| Memory Strategies |
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| Cognitive Strategies |
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| Compensation Strategies |
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Indirect Strategies
| Category | Methods | Example Language Learning Strategies |
| Metacognitive Strategies |
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| Affective Strategies |
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| Social Strategies |
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Table 2: Indirect Language Learning Strategies, based on Oxford (1990) categorization of strategies
Now check your understanding by identifying whether the strategies in the image below are direct or indirect.
Direct vs. Indirect Strategies Comprehension Check
Can you tell which of these items represent direct vs. indirect strategies? Make your gues