Language Learning Strategy Use and Instruction for the Iranian Junior High School EFL Learners: A Mixed Methods Approach

In order to confirm the effectiveness of language learning strategies in the Iranian context in junior high schools, this study was designed to examine the patterns of strategy use, the effects of strategy instruction on the students' strategy use, and the relationship between the participants' strategy use and their English achievement. To achieve this objective, 57 junior high school participants studying in 2 intact classes of the same school took part in the study. Each class was randomly assigned to either the control or experimental groups. The experimental group received instruction on using strategies which were related to vocabulary and grammar and were considered to be appropriate for their level. Due to practicality reasons only 6 strategies were selected form Oxford's taxonomy (1990). Gunning's Children's SILL (1997, adapted from Oxford, 1990) was applied before and after strategy instruction. An EFL teacher-made achievement test was also conducted after the treatment. The results revealed that affective category was the most used category by the learners, followed by metacognitive, compensatory, memory, and social categories. Also, the cognitive category was the least used category. The difference between the control and experimental groups in terms of strategy use appeared to be significant, indicating the effectiveness of strategy instruction. The results also showed a significant positive relationship between the participants' strategy use and achievement.