Learners’ motivational opportunities, learning style, cognitive ability and their associations with LLS choice to practice speaking EFL: Dire Dawa secondary government schools in Focus, Ethiopia

Globally, the choice of language learning strategies by EFL learners is a debated issue in secondary schools in EFL countries due to the individual personality characteristics of the learners. This study investigated the relationship between three predictor variables (motivational processes, learning style, cognitive ability) and learners' language learning strategy (LLS) choices to practice and acquire speaking English as a foreign language. Using a correlational research design, 310 students were randomly selected from four government schools purposefully chosen. Participants from each school were selected based on proportionate sample size formula. Data was collected through a close-ended questionnaire and analyzed using a multiple linear regression model. The result revealed a statistically significant relationship between the motivational processes, learners’ cognitive strategies, and affective strategy choices. A statistically significant relationship was also observed between learners’ learning style, memory strategy, and compensatory strategy choice. However, the strongest association was observed between learners’ cognitive ability, on the one hand, and six types of strategy choices (memory, cognitive, compensatory, metacognitive, affective, and social strategies). Effective work on students' metacognitive and social strategy choices is important to support learners' practice of speaking EFL. Other strategies moderately assist the two strategies. Hence, the findings generated important implications for the effective teaching of EFL speaking skills in Ethiopia and similar contexts by accommodating a range of instructional strategies for the benefit of all learners. The core implications include addressing learners' personality characteristics and providing them with strategy training to cope with teachers’ instructional strategy uses in the classroom. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.