Gender-based Differences in Language Learning Strategies among Foreign Students Majoring in Myanmar Language at YUFL and MUFL

Abstract

Myanmar Students are always enthusiastic to learn a foreign language. Both
inside and outside classroom, they always find possible ways to improve
their foreign language skills. Additionally, students have burning desire to
communicate with the foreigners proficiently and accurately. However,
some are not content with their foreign language proficiency. Therefore, they
want to know what kind of strategies they should apply in learning a
language. The objectives of this research were to study the language learning
strategies employed by foreign students who study Myanmar Language at
Yangon University of Foreign Languages (YUFL) and Mandalay University
of Foreign Languages (MUFL) in the academic year 2019-2020, and to
examine whether there is a relationship between language learning strategies
and language improvement according to gender. This study applied
quantitative method. The utilized questionnaire was from the most widely

employed strategy scale the ESL/EFL version of the Strategy Inventory for
Language Learning (SILL) by Oxford (1990). Data analyses included the
computation of descriptive statistics (means and frequencies). The findings
of the study shed light that female learners employed more strategies than
males. According to the replies of the participants, metacognitive strategies
were highly employed whereas memory and compensation strategies were
least used among them. Furthermore, one prominent finding highlighted in
this research was that there was a significant difference according to the
gender type. Strategy use reported by female participants indicated that they
highly preferred metacognitive strategies whereas male participants showed
their great preference on social strategies.