An Investigation of Motivation and Learning Strategies in Thai University Learners of French

Abstract

Learner motivation and learning strategies play a crucial role in language learning. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the patterns of motivation and learning strategies in 144 Thai university learners of the French language. Participants were given a questionnaire asking about their motivation and learning strategy use. The findings suggest a hierarchy of learning strategy use among Thai university learners. The most frequently used taxonomies of learning strategies were social strategies, followed by metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies, affective strategies and, finally, memory strategies. The current findings also showed a positive relationship between learner motivation and language learning strategies. However, qualitative investigations need to be considered for further studies to gain in-depth insight into learning strategy use. Such a line of inquiry would yield additional crucial pedagogical and theoretical implications.