The Impact of Online Training on Saudi Medical Students’ Attitudes, Awareness, and Use of Language Learning Strategies in Relation to their Developing Autonomy

• Main Authors: Sahar Alzahrani, Julie Watson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kanda University of International Studies 2016-06-01
• Series: Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal
• Subjects: language learning strategies; learner autonomy; Saudi medical students; strategy awareness; learner training; strategy use; attitudes to strategies; English language
• Online Access: https://sisaljournal.org/archives/mar16/alzahrani_watson/

In the context of ongoing debate about the relationship between strategy training and autonomous learning, this study set out in the belief that they are inextricably linked and sought to explore three important aspects of learner strategy development more deeply. An experiment was designed to investigate the effectiveness of learner training with three groups of Saudi students taking a course in English for Medical Purposes: control (no treatment), offline (treatment delivered on paper), and online (online treatment). The treatments used supplementary learning material focused on language learning strategies (LLS). The design and the delivery of the treatments was informed by Rubin, Chamot, Harris, and Anderson (2007), Cohen (1998), Murphy and Hurd (2011), and Murphy (2008a). This paper sought to answer three research questions related to the impact of learner training on students’ attitudes, awareness, and use of LLS in relation to their autonomous abilities after exposure to the treatment. Qualitative data from students’ reflective writings, interviews and focus group discussion was used to answer these questions. For the two treatment groups, the treatment impact was found to be positive in relation to the research questions and negative in the control. The online group outperformed the offline one in all the three investigated aspects.