Children's learning strategy use and the effects of strategy instruction on success in learning ESL in Canada

This paper reports on a four-month, mixed-methods, quasi-experimental case study investigating the effects of strategy instruction and use on success on oral interaction tasks among sixth graders (n = 54) in Québec, Canada. Two intact groups of participants from two schools served as a treatment group and a control group. Findings indicate that strategy awareness and use were enhanced following instruction. The treatment group showed statistically significant gains in oral interaction from pre- to post-test and outperformed the control group. Qualitative and quantitative data, including questionnaires and video-recordings, provided sources of evidence to support the findings of this investigation. This study has implications for the fields of research methods, language teaching pedagogy, learning strategies, and strategy instruction among children who are learning a second or foreign language.