Synopsis in English of Searching for better language learning strategies : Studies on good language learners in the Japanese FL context

This article reports on three qualitative studies about good foreign language learners conducted in the Japanese EFL/FL context. The first study examines the learning behaviors appearing in the language learning biographies written by 40 college-level good learners of EFL. A second study investigates the strategies frequently used by 18 highly advanced EFL learners. The last study analyzes the strategy use reported in 69 books on “how I have learned a foreign language.” Results suggest that there are some strategies especially favored in the Japanese EFL/FL context and that the use of some strategies seems to be closely connected to the stages of learning. Some research implications are also discussed.