This study examines the range of writing LS used by 50 first-year English majored students at a teacher training university in Vietnam, and the differences between more and less skilled students in writing, after being instructed on LS for one year. The study found four groups of LS of different popularity, and significant variations in LS use between the two groups of students. | THE APPLICATION OF STRATEGY-BASED INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACH WRITING TO FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS Duong Thu Mai* Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Pham Van Dong, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam Received 12 February 2018 Revised 17 March 2018; Accepted 30 March 2018 Abstract: Learning strategies (LS) have been a salient field of study in English Language Teaching (ELT) globally for the last few decades. In Vietnam, however, while the role of teachers is undeniable and teachers’ action research has proliferated exponentially, the unequal number of studies on a subject of equal importance, . the local learners’ learning methods, is conspicuous. Additionally, the “how” is as important as the “what”, especially for the first-year university students, who experience a great change of learning and teaching methods when entering universities. This study examines the range of writing LS used by 50 first-year English majored students at a teacher training university in Vietnam, and the differences between more and less skilled students in writing, after being instructed on LS for one year. The study found four groups of LS of different popularity, and significant variations in LS use between the two groups of students. Keywords: strategy training, learning strategy, English as a foreign language (EFL) writing 1. Introduction If students are asked about their LS, they often give various answers and even one student can change the answers in different interview sessions. This situation is particularly true in writing, in which the students’ slow progress signifies it as the most difficult skill to teach and to learn. For those reasons, in this study, the significance of LS to the first year English majored students in learning to write in English will be addressed. To be specific, the study answers two research questions: 1. What is the range of LS that the firstyear students apply in writing? 2. What LS are
