Relationship between personality characteristics and foreign language learning strategies: Approaches of Chinese scholars

Abstract

Success in mastering a foreign language is closely related to the personality of students. However, the choice of a certain learning strategy is no less important in this respect. The analysis of the relationship between these variables has been carried out by scholars from different countries, including China. The studies in China are based on questionnaires developed by European and American psychologists and adapted for the Chinese public as well as self-designed methods, often unknown outside China. The studies identified the variants of interrelations between students’ personality characteristics and foreign language learning strategies. In particular, it was noted that the choice of foreign language learning strategies was influenced by a variety of personal, situational, institutional, and contextual factors, including the student’s self, social agents (parents, teachers, and classmates), assessment methods, social environment, and involvement in extracurricular activities. The present study is a review of the relevant works of Chinese experts. It contributes to highlighting their approach to these relationships. It may be of use to teachers who teach both Chinese and Russian students a foreign language, as it proves that despite the specificity of the sociocultural and ethnic components of Chinese students’ personality, they often choose foreign language learning strategies based on the same conditions as their Russian classmates. The awareness of the interrelationships discussed in this article can contribute to the development of a relevant didactic model that will embrace effective stimuli and reinforce positive patterns.