Innovation in Language Learning

Learning strategies are steps taken by learners to enhance their learning. This article explores the learning strategies employed by participants in the Intercultural Virtual Societal Challenge (IVSC) in Burkina Faso. The IVSC project, part of the European ERASMUS KA2 TRIP, builds on the "Virtual Environmental Challenge" initiative (Evain, Moore, Hawkridge, 2023) and utilizes a combined Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) and Internationalization at Home (I@H) approach to promote collaborative learning and cross-cultural interactions. The aim is to analyze the learning strategies that empower learners to take control of their own learning, develop language skills, and increase confidence and motivation in the target language. Designed to foster independent and autonomous learning, the IVSC project encourages students to take responsibility for their language acquisition through CBL and I@H. The study shows that students utilize all six of Rebecca Oxford’s (Oxford, 1989) strategies as outlined in the SILL taxonomy: memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social strategies. The findings suggest that the more strategies a learner employs, the greater their confidence, motivation, self-efficacy, and overall success in advancing along the proficiency continuum.