Learning English Online: The Questions of Skill, Will, Self-Regulation and Academic Performance

Abstract

Students' learning strategy is essential to ensure how students are able to manage their studies. Unlike traditional classroom where regular class meetings and instructors monitoring and supporting students' learning, online learning requires students' own skills, motivation, and self-regulation. This study aimed at identifying students' learning strategy in learning English online. This was measured using the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) that examined students' strategy use under the dimensions of skill, will and self-regulation. The data were procured from a set of questionnaires constructed based on LASSI components and distributed to 127 diploma level students, registered in an English course in a university in Malaysia. The analysis shows that the students employed all the strategies examined in their learning, indicating that they had the skills and ability related to identifying and acquiring information, and demonstrating their knowledge on evaluative procedure at varying levels. However, the analysis points out that not all the subscales can be a predictor for the students' performance. There were varying correlations between students' strategic learning and their academic performance. The findings also indicate that gender influenced the use of the strategic learning components, that female students had better control when dealing with motivation, emotion and management of a person's own cognition, behaviour and emotion, while male students were better in the aspects of knowledge and the application of use. The findings can inform instructors or institutions on providing academic resources or any specific intervention programme that can be organised to ameliorate students' academic performance.