摘要：Learning strategies today represent an important field of research in the field of second language acquisition. Oxford (1990) defines them as specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, and more transferrable to new situations of language learning and use. The use of appropriate strategies ensures greater success in learning and more confidence. The first part of the paper contains the key definitions of learning strategies, while the second part presents the results of a quantitative survey that was conducted at the American College of Management and Technology and at the University in Dubrovnik on a sample of 181 respondents learning German, Spanish, French and Italian as a foreign language at two language learning levels: beginning and intermediate. The learning strategies were tested using a questionnaire based on Oxford’s SILL (Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, Oxford, 1990). The survey aimed at determining differences in the use of learning strategies in relation to the language learning level, and previous grade earned in the foreign language. Compared to the language learning level the results have shown that there are statistically significantly differences in the use of social-affective and cognitive strategies in the direction of greater strategy use among the students at the beginning language level. However, there is a statistically significant difference in the use of learning strategies compared to the previous grade earned in a foreign language. Students with an excellent grade use more frequently social-affective and memory strategies. The final part of the paper specifies the implications for teaching practice and provides guidelines for future research.
关键词：learning strategies; language competence; success in learning; language learning level
