Effect of school mode on language learning strategies of Nigerian secondary school students

Abstract

A number of factors such as gender, nationality; ethnicity and even family socio-economic status have been investigated in relation to their effects on language learning strategy (LLS) choice among learners of English as second language (ESL). However, fewer studies attempted to investigate the effect of school mode on LLS choice and especially as it relates to secondary school learners of ESL. This study investigated the LLS employed by Nigerian secondary school students in relation to their school mode. A total of 559 senior secondary school students were selected from 20 Nigerian secondary schools to participate in this study. The study adopted a quantitative survey method supported by qualitative data. The research instruments used for data collection were a modified Oxford’s study inventory of language learning consisting of 55 items on a 5-level Likert scale and an open-ended interview questions. The instrument was tested and the reliability index on Cronbach’s alpha was .816. SPSS version 16.0 was employed to establish the strategies employed, correlation test and t-tests were conducted at a .05 level of significance to establish relationships. Findings show that Nigerian secondary school students are high users of LLS and that statistically a significant relationship exists between school mode and the LLS employed. The findings of the study has pedagogical implications for English language teachers and English language curriculum designers that could assist in understanding the English language learning patterns of Nigerian secondary school students.