Abstract
This chapter reports on social strategy use among undergraduate students in one of Oman's private universities. It examines interactive strategy use in three main language-learning contexts: in class, on campus outside the classroom, and off campus. Data was collected through interviews and the online questionnaire social strategy inventory for language learning (SSILL). One-hundred twenty-four students enrolled in their second-year diploma program participated in the questionnaire, while 12 were interviewed and administered a mock IELTS exam. Results indicate that participants used all social strategies at only a moderate frequency. It is concluded that different language learning backgrounds, proficiencies, and power relations between students' L1 and English may impede the use of interactive strategies in spite of the supportive classroom environment. The chapter concludes by urging practitioners to pay closer attention to learner identities, power struggles, and group memberships in the English language classroom.
TopThe social strategy use of language learners is a multi-faceted construct that involves psychological, social, linguistic, and communicative elements, and encompasses not only the communicative behavior of learners, but also the conduciveness of the environments in which they learn the English language. Over a period of two decades, language learning strategy (LLS) theory (O’Malley, Chamot, Stewner-Manzanares, Kupper, & Russo, 1985) identified and categorized several techniques or strategies that ESL/EFL learners use in learning a second language. Since then, the theory has been constantly evolving through the addition of several dimensions, including cognitive, meta-cognitive, and socio-affective dimensions. In addition, Oxford (1990) separated social strategies from affective strategies and further divided these into three categories and six subcategories which were believed to powerfully aid learner sociolinguistic competence (see Figure 1).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Sociolinguistic Competence: The ability to use the language that is appropriate to specific social contexts.
Medium of Instruction: The language used for teaching.
Social Identities: The Self that is shaped by individual aspirations and by group memberships.
Multiculturalism: Co-existence of two or more cultures.
Communicative Competence: An underlying system of skills and knowledge required for interaction.
Group Membership: Acceptance of the individual in a group.
Power Relations: The ability to exert influence on other people’s behavior.
Social Strategies: Interactive strategies used for learning a language.
Learner Personality: A construct related to the ways individuals think and respond.
Multilingualism: The use of more than one language by the individuals in a community.