Cognitive Strategies Usefulness Perception in Female and Male Learners of Spanish: An International Empirical Study

Abstract

The complexity of learning a target language urges for many factors to be taken into account. The aims for this article are to describe and quantify the differences between male and female learners of Spanish in their perception of the usefulness of cognitive strategies. The sample consisted of 665 participants, adult learners of Spanish from 60 universities and institutions in 20 countries of Europe, the Americas and Oceania. Data were collected with the multi-scale tool SICoLLS. Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were applied to compare the two independent groups (males and females). Results showed statistically significant differences between males and females in only 26 out of the 80 examined strategies and two out of five categories, with small and medium effect sizes. Even so, in 67% of all variables examined, no significant differences were found, but rather similarities. The preparation category showed the greatest similarities between the groups, along with six other strategies of different kinds. These findings suggest that some types of strategies lead to different outcomes depending on the variable sex (male or female). Findings and implications are discussed and could be of relevance to set references, criteria, and suggestions in the area of applied linguistics.