Characterizing students’ language learning strategies in the English and French Modern Languages program in Popayán and Santander de Quilichao

Abstract

This research project characterized the language learning strategies in the English - French Modern Languages Program (E-FMLP) at the University of Cauca in Popayán and Santander de Quilichao. To achieve this purpose, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning designed by Oxford (1986) was administered to identify the students’ strategy use frequency. The findings demonstrate that there are differences regarding strategy use between the target languages and between Popayán and Santander de Quilichao cohorts, also the results revealed that E-FMLP students might be presenting considerable difficulties to manage the affective domain which is presumed to be affecting the appropriate deployment of the different types of strategies. This research contributes to understand students’ learning processes. In this way students’ learning strategies can be stretched out through the professors’ support, so that, learning process can be strengthened and autonomy encouraged.