The effects of language learning strategy instruction on college students’ English achievement and learner autonomy in mainland China: A meta-analysis

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102442
• Publication Date: 2024-08-29T03:42:04Z
• Authors: Xue Wang; Qiyang Zhang; Huanchun Chen; Amanda J. Neitzel; Marcia H. Davis
• Keywords: Educational Psychology; Language and Literacy Education; Higher Education; Education

This meta-analysis synthesized recent research on promoting learner autonomy through strategy instruction in tertiary English classrooms in China for two main purposes: (a) to estimate the effects of strategy instruction on English achievement and outcomes related to learner autonomy; and (b) to examine the moderating effects of a set of intervention and contextual characteristics. A total of 49 studies contributed to 111 effect sizes for this meta-analysis. Using a random-effects model, this study finds that the overall effect size of strategy instruction was 0.92 (p < 0.001). The type of outcome measure significantly moderated the impact of strategy instruction. Interventions that assessed multiple aspects of learner autonomy (cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and social) had a significantly higher mean effect size than those assessing a single aspect. The results suggest strategy instruction is a viable instructional tool for promoting learner autonomy among college students in English-as-a-foreign-language classrooms. The results emphasize that fully understanding the impact of a strategy instruction intervention on learner autonomy requires an examination of its various dimensions.