The Learning Strategy Differences Between High Score Learners And Low Score Learners Of Cloze Test

Cloze test,used in various exams,can reflect learners’ language ability.The cloze test has become more and more difficult since it appeared in the college entrance examination in 1987.Students need to have a higher language ability to deal with it.The English Curriculum Standard for Senior High School proposes that students should select appropriate learning strategies and apply them in their language tasks.Cultivating students’ ability to use learning strategies is the main way to improve students’ learning ability.Domestic studies on the application of learning strategies in cloze are rarely focused on the differences between high and low score learners,and there is less studies combining qualitative and quantitative research methods.Therefore,this paper,using questionnaire and thinking aloud method,aims to compare the use of learning strategies in cloze test between high score learners and low score learners.According to the classification framework of learning strategies proposed by O’ Malley &Chamot and Cheng & Zheng,learning strategies are divided into metacognitive strategies,cognitive strategies and affective/social strategies.This study is aimed to deal with the following two questions: What are the differences between high score learners and low score learners in metacognitive strategies,cognitive strategies and affective strategies in cloze test? What are the specific differences between high score learners and low score learners in terms of sub-strategy in metacognitive strategies,cognitive strategies and affective strategies?The object of this research is the students from Grade two in Jining No.1 Middle School.According to their mid-term examination results,the students are divided into high score group and low score group.Six students from the high score group and four students from the low score group were selected as the thinking aloud test subjects After the experiment,the questionnaire data were analyzed via SPSS 26.0 and the thinking aloud was transcribed and coded.The results of the questionnaire show that there are significant differences between high score learners and low score learners in cognitive strategies,metacognitive strategies and affective social strategies.There are also significant differences in each sub-strategy of metacognitive strategies and affective/social strategies,as well as some sub-strategies of cognitive strategies(except translation,association and use of reference materials).The results of thinking aloud analysis show that high score learners use cognitive strategies and metacognitive strategies more effectively than low score learners.However,the students,including low score learners and high score learners,use less learning strategies in general,especially affective/ social strategies.Low score learners cannot flexibly use learning strategies due to poor language ability and small vocabulary.In view of these problems,teachers should guide students to adopt different learning strategies and own learning methods suitable for them.