EFFECT OF THE PRESENCE AND DIFFICULTY OF TASK ON STRATEGY USE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Assessing use of language learning strategies has become common place around the world. One strategy assessment tool is the questionnaire, which usually asks students to report on their typical, general use of language learning strategies. Because of this general focus, most questionnaires do not require respondents to complete an actual language task as part of strategy assessment. Although general learning strategy questionnaires will remain important, task-based strategy assessment may have an increasing role. This article analyzes the meaning of task, discusses task-based research, and presents a rationale for task-based strategy assessment. The article describes a recent exploratory study about (1) effects of including or not including a language task as part of strategy assessment procedures and (2) how students' reported strategies differ when the language task is easy versus difficult. An important interaction arose between task difficulty and students' proficiency levels. The article concludes with implications for task-based strategy assessment.