Does ethnicity influence the choice of language learning strategies?

Abstract

Introduction There has been very little research on learning strategies used by learners of Japanese as a foreign language (Grainger 2006). Furthermore, ethnicity has not attracted much attention as an influential variable in such studies (Grainger 1997).

The study This study aims to fill the gap by investigating the types of learning strategies used by learners of Japanese in New Zealand and the relationship between their use of learning strategies and their ethnicity. The research questions of this study were: (1) what types of learning strategies are reportedly used by learners of the Japanese language as a foreign language?; and (2) to what extent does the use of language learning strategies vary depending on learners’ ethnicity?