Strategies in Learning and Using a Second Language

Applied Linguistics and Language Study

by Andrew D. Cohen

Strategies in Learning and Using a Second Language explores the topic of learner strategies - the ways in which language learners engage with the process of learning and communicating in a new language. The introduction to the book sets out the main theoretical issues, distinguishing language learning from language use strategies, and describing the main research methods for their investigation. The author presents innovative research linking the use of task-specific strategies with language performance. The volume then presents empirical research investigating the languages multilinguals select for their verbalized thoughts during language learning and language use. Finally, the author presents empirical research focusing on the strategies learners use in language test-taking contexts. The volume is intended primarily for language teachers and researchers, as well as for administrators of second language programs. It is also highly suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students of applied linguistics and will be of interest to foreign language students, stimulating them to reflect on their strategies for learning and using a second language. The chapters present questions and raise areas for further discussion and study, making the book suitable for those new to the field. At the same time, the provision of important new research will appeal to those with more advanced knowledge in the field.

Genres: Language

295 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

About the author

Andrew D. Cohen was a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural community development with the Aymara Indians on the High Plains of Bolivia (1965–1967); Professor of ESL at UCLA (1972–1975); Professor of Language Education at the Hebrew University (1975–1991) with a year as Fulbright Lecturer and Researcher at the PUC in São Paulo, Brazil (1986–1987); and Professor of Second Language Studies at the University of Minnesota (1991–2013) with a year as a visiting professor at Auckland University, NZ (2004–2005).