Strategy diaries: Learner perspective on the benefits of communication strategy training

Ting, Su Hie and Megawati, Soekarno (2021) Strategy diaries: Learner perspective on the benefits of communication strategy training. Applied Language Learning, 31 (1 & 2). pp. 87-105.

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Abstract

The study examined the learner perspective of the benefits of communication strategy training by analysing strategy diaries written by low English proficiency learners enrolled in an English for Occupational Purposes programme. The communication strategy instruction involved 23 students who were taught 13 lexical, negotiation and discourse-based communication strategies during the 13-week training. Each session consisted of presentation, rehearsal and performance stages, and closed with strategy diary writing. The students wrote 117 strategy diary entries related to the learning outcomes of the training sessions. More diary entries were on English improvement (82.9%) and fewer were on use of communication strategies (17.1%). Further analysis of the strategy-related entries indicated the communication strategies taught during the training helped the students to better explain themselves, increase their vocabulary, and speak more spontaneously. A longitudinal analysis of one student’s diary entries revealed that the student did not develop greater awareness of communication strategies during the training. When the subject matter of the interaction became more technical, her reflection shifted from communication and language skills to the topic of the lesson and activities. The findings suggest the need to train learners on reflective writing to obtain useful insights into the learner perspective on using communication strategies.

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