Strategies in learning a foreign language and English proficiency levels: an examination of Japanese EFL learners

This study attempts to examine language learning strategy (LLS) utilization patterns of Japanese EFL learners. The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), developed by Oxford (1990) to assess selection and frequency of LLSs, provided insight into individual utilization of memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive and social strategies. A comparison of two groups of learners, sorted according to language proficiency levels, revealed that selection of LLSs may have been a critical factor in determining eventual success or failure in language learning