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Introduction published In: Qualitative Research on Language Learning Strategies and Self-Regulation
Edited by Nathan Thomas, Jason Schneider and Sihan Zhou
[AILA Review 37:2] 2024
► pp. 177–187

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Introduction

Qualitative research on language learning strategies and self-regulation

 | University College London
 | DePaul University
 | The Chinese University of Hong Kong
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University College London.

Published online: 29 November 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.00059.tho
Abstract
Scholarship on language learning strategies has evolved from small-scale, practitioner-oriented studies to predominantly large-scale, questionnaire-driven research. This general shift has been instrumental in contributing to the field’s increased popularity. Robust quantitative studies are valuable. However, many scholars have called for more qualitative research to understand learners’ strategic behaviors in greater depth. Similarly, research on self-regulated learning can also benefit from qualitative inquiry. While self-regulated learning was once considered a replacement for language learning strategies, it is now commonly researched as a complementary construct within the same domain. As such, this special issue showcases recent qualitative studies that explore the complex “why” and “how” of language learning strategies and self-regulated learning. Originating from a symposium at the 2023 AILA World Congress, this collection brings together a range of methodologies, illustrating diversity within qualitative approaches and providing empirical insights that advance both theory and practice. In this introduction, we explain our rationale for proposing this special issue, discuss key issues it addresses, and conclude by providing future directions for research.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Organization of the special issue
  • Future directions for research
  • References
References (60)
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2025. A Systematic Scoping Review of Self‐Regulated Learning With AI in Language Education. International Journal of Applied Linguistics DOI logo

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