Exploring Strategies Used by Algerian EFL Learners to Develop Their Speaking Skills

Cognitivist theories have transformed the way educators look at the complex journey of language learning by highlighting new dimensions. The investigation of learners’ mental processes unveiled capacities and strategies learners bring to classes. Learning strategies are used by learners to enhance their learning. For many learners, speaking the language may be the most concrete and rewarding benefit of language learning. Many of them, however, may struggle with developing EFL speaking skills. One determinant factor in language learning is the use of learning strategies. Therefore, the present research is an attempt to explore the language learning strategies used by Algerian learners to develop their EFL speaking skills according to learner variables (gender, speaking proficiency and educational background). Identifying those strategies could help course designers and teachers design teaching in a way that improves learners’ use of learning strategies to develop their speaking skills more efficiently for academic and professional purposes. To achieve this research goal, a mixed quantitative and qualitative research design was implemented. This design rests upon three research tools, a test of speaking proficiency, a learning strategy use questionnaire (N=52) and speaking course syllabi. The data were analysed quantitatively (descriptive statistics) to compare strategy use by each cohort and qualitatively (Thematic analysis). Acknowledging the shortcomings of self-report data and based on descriptive statistics, the main finding of the present study is consistent with many previous studies; students’ speaking proficiency, gender and educational background did not seem to correlate with much difference in strategy use. Besides, the syllabi of speaking courses examined made no reference to specific work on speaking strategies. Based on these findings, the first main suggestion is addressed to Algerian researchers about shifting the research agenda from the role of learner variables in strategy use to pedagogy that could improve the efficiency of speaking strategy training. Other suggestions including guidelines to integrate strategy training in the curriculum as well as methods to identify learners’ current strategies and foster appropriate strategy use are offered to speaking course designers and teachers in order to enhance Algerian EFL students’ strategy use and ultimately develop better speaking skills.