Hello everyone. I am Li, a graduate student. Here, I would like to introduce a paper I read at our recent English seminar.

Title: Development and Validation of the Speaking Strategy Inventory for Learners of Chinese (SSILC) as a Second/Foreign Language

• Authors: Peijian Paul Sun, Lawrence Jun Zhang, Susan M. Gray
• Journal: The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher (2016, 25(4), 593–604)
• DOI: 10.1007/s40299-016-0287-0

To improve in a foreign language, it is important not only to attend classes or memorize vocabulary and grammar but also to be conscious of “how to learn.” The specific efforts and actions that learners take to enhance their foreign language proficiency are called “language learning strategies.”

The study introduced here developed a scale to measure the strategies used by individuals learning Chinese as a second or foreign language to improve their speaking skills. This scale was named the Speaking Strategy Inventory for Learners of Chinese (SSILC).

1. Research Background

Many studies have been conducted on foreign language learning strategies. However, most have focused on English learners, and scales specifically for the speaking skills of Chinese learners have not been sufficiently developed. Furthermore, existing scales have faced issues such as small sample sizes, unclear development procedures, and insufficient verification of reliability and validity.

In this study, speaking strategies are not limited to on-the-spot problem-solving, such as paraphrasing words one does not know during a conversation. They also include practicing new words and expressions aloud, reviewing important expressions, planning what to say in advance, and asking conversation partners for help. In other words, speaking strategies are viewed as encompassing not only actions during actual speaking but also preparation and daily practice to improve speaking ability.

2. Research Objectives

The main objective of this study is to develop a scale to measure the speaking strategies used by Chinese learners. Another objective is to clarify the structure of the developed scale and statistically verify its reliability and validity.

Furthermore, by utilizing this scale, the study aims to enable teachers to grasp the characteristics of learners’ strategy use and provide necessary guidance. For learners themselves, it serves as a means to reflect on the methods they typically use to learn speaking.

3. Research Methods

In the study, a 20-item questionnaire tailored to the context of Chinese language learning was created with reference to previous research. Respondents indicate the extent to which each action applies to them on a 5-point scale. The questionnaire items were reviewed by graduate students who are native Chinese speakers, advanced Chinese learners, and experts in second language Chinese research to examine the appropriateness of the content and expressions.

The survey was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the questionnaire was distributed to students learning Chinese at three universities in Beijing, and 224 valid responses were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis was then conducted to identify common characteristics among multiple questionnaire items.

In this analysis, items with weak relationships to specific trends, items related to multiple trends simultaneously, and items with overlapping content were removed. As a result, 6 items were removed from the original 20, leaving 14 items in the final version.

In the second stage, a survey was conducted with a different group of Chinese learners, and confirmatory factor analysis was performed using 118 responses. This analysis was conducted to verify whether the classification obtained in the first stage could be applied to a different group of learners. The use of data from different learners for exploration and verification is an important feature of this study.

4. Research Results

As a result of the analysis, the speaking strategies of Chinese learners were organized into three categories.

The first is “Expression Practice Strategies.” This includes actions such as regularly reviewing new words and expressions, writing down useful expressions, and practicing new expressions aloud by oneself. These are strategies for increasing the vocabulary and expressions one can use in actual speech through repeated self-practice.

The second is “Native Speaker-Oriented/Conversation Participation Strategies.” This includes actions such as being conscious of how native Chinese speakers express themselves, looking for opportunities to talk with native speakers, planning speech content in advance, and actively participating in conversations by asking questions. These can be considered strategies for acquiring more natural Chinese expressions through actual interaction.

The third is “Assistance Strategies.” This includes actions such as using alternative expressions when the appropriate word is unknown, asking the conversation partner for help or corrections, and using gestures to convey meaning. These are strategies for continuing communication by relying on others or alternative expressions without giving up on speaking even when problems arise during a conversation.

In the confirmatory factor analysis, the initial results required some improvement, but after modifying the model, the structure consisting of the three strategies reached an acceptable standard. Additionally, a certain level of reliability was confirmed for the items measuring each strategy.

Furthermore, the relationship between the three strategies and the Chinese speaking ability self-assessed by the learners was analyzed. The results showed a tendency for learners who frequently use “Expression Practice Strategies” to rate their own speaking ability higher. On the other hand, no clear relationship with self-assessed speaking ability was confirmed for “Native Speaker-Oriented/Conversation Participation Strategies” and “Assistance Strategies.” However, it cannot be concluded from these results alone that speaking ability directly improved due to expression practice. This is because the study measured speaking ability through the learners’ own self-assessments rather than actual oral examinations or teacher evaluations.

5. Limitations and Future Challenges

Most of the participants in this study were intermediate or advanced Chinese learners. Therefore, it is unclear whether the same three strategies apply to beginner learners. Additionally, the number of survey participants was relatively limited, and further verification is needed to see if the same results would be observed among learners in different countries and regions.

In the future, it will be necessary to conduct surveys targeting learners with different proficiency levels, such as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Furthermore, it is required to objectively verify the relationship between strategy use and speaking ability by using not only self-assessments but also Chinese oral examinations, teacher evaluations, and actual speech data.

6. Implications for Education

The educational significance of this study lies in the fact that teachers can provide guidance to learners on concrete “ways of learning to speak.” For example, activities such as repeating new words and expressions aloud, recording useful expressions to use in actual speech, preparing what to say in advance, paraphrasing words one does not know, and asking others for help or corrections can be incorporated into classes. When speaking a foreign language, it is not necessary to know every word and grammar rule accurately. Continuing a conversation while paraphrasing unknown words or borrowing help from others is also an important communication skill. If learners can understand the strategies they use and consciously choose the necessary strategies, it is thought that this will lead to increased confidence and self-efficacy in speaking Chinese.

7. Reasons for Referencing This Paper

The reason I referenced this paper is that it develops a scale specialized for Chinese speaking learning and visualizes the specific learning behaviors of learners. In Chinese language education, grasping what strategies learners use is important not only for understanding learning outcomes but also for understanding the learning process that leads to them.

In particular, the classification into “Expression Practice Strategies,” “Native Speaker-Oriented/Conversation Participation Strategies,” and “Assistance Strategies” serves as a reference when designing speaking activities inside and outside the classroom. Instead of simply asking learners to “speak more,” teachers can provide concrete guidance on how to prepare expressions, how to participate in conversations, and how to respond when in trouble.

Also, in the research on Chinese speaking learning that I am currently interested in, it is important to visualize how learners repeat speech practice, feedback, self-correction, and re-speaking. Since this paper captures not only the learners’ speaking ability but also the underlying strategy use through a questionnaire, it serves as a reference as a basic framework for analyzing the learning process.

On the other hand, the SSILC is a scale centered on learner self-reporting and does not directly record actual speech behavior or the correction process. Therefore, in the future, it will be necessary to combine the grasping of strategies via questionnaires with behavioral data such as recording data, practice frequency, reactions to feedback, and changes in re-speaking. From this perspective as well, I believe this paper is an important reference material for developing research on learning strategies into the analysis of the actual speaking learning process.