| Both the grammar learning strategies and the test-taking strategies can contribute to the performance of the grammar test.Little research,to date,has examined the relationship between grammar learning strategies as well as test-taking strategies and the performance of grammar gap-filling tasks in NMET.To investigate the current use of grammar learning strategies as well as test-taking strategies among high school students and identify key factors affecting their performance of grammar gap-filling tasks,this study surveyed and interviewed 206 Senior Two students in Guangdong Province,exploring the differences in strategy use among students at varying levels of grammar proficiency and examining the effectiveness of different strategies in improving the performance of grammar gap-filling tasks.The data were processed and analyzed by SPSS 22.0.In combination with the results of the interview,this study arrived at the following conclusions.(1)The frequency of employing grammar learning strategies and test-taking strategies among high school students both stay at a moderate level.The four types of grammar learning strategies are ranked from high to low frequency of use in the following order: cognitive strategies,metacognitive strategies,affective strategies,and communicative strategies.Among the two types of test-taking strategies,testmanagement strategies are used more frequently than test-wiseness strategies.(2)Significant differences exist in the overall frequency of using grammar learning strategies among different proficiency groups.As grammar proficiency improves,the frequency of using grammar learning strategies also increases accordingly.Similarly,significant differences are found in the overall frequency of using test-taking strategies among different proficiency groups.The overall frequency of using test-taking strategies increases with the improvement of grammar proficiency.The highproficiency group employs test-management strategies most frequently,followed by the medium-proficiency group,and the low-proficiency group least,with significant differences between the groups.Regarding the use of test-wiseness strategies,the highproficiency group utilizes them most,followed by the low-proficiency group,and the medium-proficiency group least.All groups exhibit significant differences,except for the high-and low-proficiency groups.(3)While the frequency of using test-wiseness strategies does not differ significantly between high-and low-proficiency groups,their utilization mechanisms differ.The high-proficiency group will use test-management strategies in isolation or in conjunction with test-wiseness strategies based on the characteristics of the items.Such strategy schemes can help them to reduce answering time and improve accuracy.In contrast,the low-proficiency group often rely exclusively on guessing and other testwiseness strategies,resulting in their biased answers.Hence,the key difference between different proficiency groups is not whether to use test-wiseness strategies or the frequency of using test-wiseness strategies,but the effectiveness of their use of testmanagement strategies alone or in conjunction with test-wiseness strategies and their ability to evaluate and monitor the use of test-taking strategies.(4)Grammar learning strategies and test-taking strategies are both positively correlated with the performance of grammar gap-filling tasks.The performance of high school students in grammar gap-filling tasks is significantly and positively influenced by both grammar learning strategies and test-taking strategies.However,the mechanisms by which these strategies exert their influence vary across different proficiency groups.The performance of the medium-proficiency group in grammar gap-filling tasks is only significantly and positively influenced by grammar learning strategies,while the performance of both high-and low-proficiency groups is significantly and positively influenced by both grammar learning strategies and testtaking strategies.For the high-proficiency group,grammar learning strategies exert a greater impact on the performance of grammar gap-filling tasks,while in the lowproficiency group,the impact of test-taking strategies is greater.Based on the results of this study,several suggestions have been proposed for the teaching and learning of grammar,with the aim of enhancing high school students’ subjectivity in grammar learning and improving their performance of grammar gapfilling tasks.A rationale is also provided for test designers to enhance the validity of grammar gap-filling tasks and ultimately reinforce the scientific and authoritative nature of the items in NMET. |
