ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to bring together under one cover a series of different themes which nonetheless are tied together by their focus on L2 learners and their strategies. It deals primarily with a particular set of L2 issues, namely those concerning language learning and language use strategies. The book focuses on factors that can be developed, and in particular on the language learner strategies that can play a significant role in assisting language learners at numerous crucial moments in the process. Language researchers the world over are now engaged in research on strategies for learning and using a second or foreign language (L2). The chapter ends by underscoring the point that the construction of valid tests can benefit greatly from feedback by test takers as to the strategies that they use in responding to assessment instruments.
