Learning strategies are defined as “specific actions, behaviors, steps, or techniques --
such as seeking out conversation partners, or giving oneself encouragement to tackle a difficult
language task -- used by students to enhance their own learning” (Scarcella & Oxford, 1992, p.
63). When the learner consciously chooses strategies that fit his or her learning style and the L2
task at hand, these strategies become a useful toolkit for active, conscious, and purposeful selfregulation
of learning. Learning strategies can be classified into six groups: cognitive,
metacognitive, memory-related, compensatory, affective, and social.