Do sex differences impact upon the learning of Japanese?

Language learning strategies use cognitive and metacognitive techniques to make learning a second language or a foriegn language more efficient. The use of language learning strategies is a significant predictor of proficiency, with good language learners using a greater variety of strategies, more frequently than less successful language learners. Strategy use is related to a number of variables including sex. Although studies of language strategy use are common in second language acquisition research, studies that focus on sex differences and learners of Japanese are very scarce. This exploratory study seeks to provide information about the impact of sex on the language learning strategy use of 17 high school learners of Japanese. The research utilized the Strategy Inventory of Language Learning Version 5 (SILL, Oxford, 1990) to measure, record and analyse the frequency of use of these strategies. the study found that high school learners of Japanese use strategies "sometimes", (according to the SILL definitions) and that some of these strategies are significantly different based on sex, and that females use more strategies than males.