Language Learning Strategies, Motivation and EFL Proficiency: A Study of Chinese Tertiary-level Non-English Majors

It has been almost two decades since language learning strategy research was first initiated in China along the line of empirically-based and data-driven research activities and up to now, relatively sufficient research has documented learning strategies used by Chinese EFL learners. However, in previous research on Chinese EFL learners, whether tertiary or middle school students, except for a few studies that have given some attention to factors such as gender, culture, learning style and motivation as variables that can potentially contribute to EFL proficiency improvement, insufficient research has been conducted to investigate how these variables interact with strategies used in accounting for language learning achievement. This paper reports on an empirical study that used two self-report instruments to examine how motivation and learning strategies interact in relation to EFL proficiency. Results show that language learning motivation and learning strategies are related to the students' EFL proficiency levels and that although the motivation of Chinese EFL learners shares much similarity to that of learners in other EFL contexts, there are some particular features unique to the Chinese context in which learners learn EFL. The results are discussed in relation to the literature that has attempted to explain Chinese EFL learner behaviors. Pedagogical implications are also discussed.