This study seeks to identify the patterns of the use of direct learning strategies of learners of Mandarin as a foreign language in an online setting during the spread of the Covid-19 Pandemic where educational institutions had shifted to online distance learning. This study also examined at how gender difference in strategy preference were represented in various situations, as well as student preferences for language learning strategies. A simple random sampling was conducted to investigate the third language learners’ direct learning strategies (memory, cognitive, compensation) in Mandarin as a foreign language based on the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) Questionnaire developed by (Oxford, 1990). A total of 445 Malay undergraduates who were undertaking the basic Mandarin course participated by answering questionnaires which were prepared as a data collection method. All the participants were non-native Mandarin speakers. Descriptive statistics and significance tests were utilised in the study. The significant differences in direct learning strategies used by male and female degree students were determined using the Independent Sample t-Test. The results revealed that memory strategy is the most preferred direct learning strategies used by the undergraduates, followed by compensation strategy and cognitive strategy. Besides, memory strategy also gained the most preferred learning strategy regardless of gender. However, the results also showed that the male and female degree students had statistically significant differences in using compensation learning strategy. The findings of the study would be important to Mandarin as a Foreign Language instructors when selecting strategies, teaching materials and activities to be carried out in their language classroom. The implications for Mandarin as a foreign language instructor are to improve the teaching and learning by preparing materials and tasks that are suitable for online learning. Therefore, it is recommended that future research should integrate quantitative and qualitative methodologies to gather more detailed information about the use of strategies or study the effects of the direct language learning strategy (LLS) on students' success in the Mandarin course. It will be preferable if a longitudinal study is undertaken to determine whether the effect of direct LLS increases over time as learners progress in learning Mandarin.
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In-Text Citation: (Eng et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Eng, S. B., Soo, Y.-P., Lai, Y. Y., Gan, K. C., & Yeap, C. K. (2022). Online Direct Learning Strategies of Mandarin as a Foreign Language Learners During COVID-19 Pandemic Period in a Malaysian University. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(11), 1137– 1146.
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