Abstract:
This study builds on previous research using the world wide known researchinstrument the SILL questionnaire. The subject of the present study were the 105 freshmanuniversity students (Females = 68; Males = 37) at "F.S.Noli" University, Economic Facultyin Korca, Albania. A Placement test was conducted since the beginning of the study and thestudents were grouped under two levels of proficiency: Pre-Intermediate and Intermediatecontrolled groups. The present large scale study investigated the strategies that male andfemale university students employed in EFL learning. It addressed the hypothesis 1) whetherfemale students employed more strategies in English language learning than male studentsand 2) if overall learners in terms of proficiency, regardless gender, resulted in this studythat: the more proficient the language learners tended to be, the higher the number of thestrategies they employed in EFL learning. Thus it related the strategy use to gender and L2proficiency and included analysis of variations in the use of overall engendered strategieson the SILL. Based on the data collection, the comparisons of respective controlled groupfindings revealed greater use of language learning strategies by females outperformingconsiderably males and by more successful learners, higher levels of strategy use by bothgenders. The aim of the study was to foster in upraising the students' awareness so thatthey themselves explore different language learning strategies, choose their specific set ofaffective strategies, evaluate, experiment and delve into authentic oral and written input tofinally promote achievement in L2 mastery and eventually yield success in EFL academiclearning.
