Students' Experiences of Strategy-Based Instruction in an English Language Learning Strategies

Abstract

Despite extensive instruction in English, many undergraduate English majors in Nigeria continue to experience difficulties developing practical proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. One contributing factor is the limited emphasis on explicit instruction in how to learn and regulate language learning. In response to the curriculum flexibility introduced under Nigeria's Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), a Nigerian university introduced an English Language Learning Strategies course to develop students' strategic competence through explicit instruction in cognitive, metacognitive, social, affective, communicative, and self-regulation strategies. Thus, this study explored the experiences of third-year undergraduate students who completed the semester-long course. A qualitative case study design was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 25 purposively selected students. The interview data were analysed thematically. The findings indicate that students perceived the course as highly beneficial, reporting improvements across listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with particularly outstanding improvement in speaking confidence, reduced language anxiety, strategic awareness, and learner autonomy. Students also reported becoming more purposeful in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their learning. However, they identified challenges related to managing multiple strategies, limited opportunities for sustained practice, and transferring strategy use to independent learning contexts. The study contributes qualitative evidence on curriculum-integrated strategy-based instruction from a Nigerian university and demonstrates the value of explicit strategy instruction in promoting language proficiency, self-regulated learning, and learner autonomy. The findings suggest that embedding strategy-based instruction across the language curriculum can help bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical language use in higher education.