The proposal describes a complex research into what type of foreign language learning strategies (FLLS) learners use at the upper secondary comprehensive school level in the Czech Republic. Different specific research questions were asked, like what factors (teacher, motivation, gender, type of instruction etc.) influence the use of strategies, and if the usage of strategies is connected with different language learning outcomes. FLLS are understood as sets of actions, steps, plans, procedures used by learner to obtain, remember, recall and use information. The strategy taxonomy of R. L. Oxford (1990) and the questionnaire SILL (Oxford 1990) build the theoretical framework of our research. SILL focuses on 6 areas of strategies relating to the classification of R. L. Oxford (1990): memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social strategies. Learners had to indicate how often they use the strategies on a scale from 1 (never, almost never) to 5 (ever, almost ever).

The strategy inventory SILL (Oxford 1990) was used together with a questionnaire focusing on general characteristics of learners and their learning of a preferred language (motivation, how long they learn, which language they prefer and why, self-assessment of skills and proficiency). The research sample consisted of 14 upper secondary comprehensive schools (gymnasium) at the second biggest city in the Czech Republic (Brno) and included 29 classes and 606 respondents at the age of 17 – 18 (52% females). Most of the pupils learnt 2 (59%) or 3 (34%) languages. 92% of pupils had been learning the languages maximal for 7 – 12 years (correlated with the compulsory school attendance). All the pupils had learnt English (99%). 79% of pupils mentioned as preferred language English, 13% German. 51% of learners assessed their proficiency as good, 33% as acceptable, and 8% excellent and 8% at a very low level.

The FLLS are seldom used (2,7 at the scale). 32 of the 85 strategies are not used usually. 71 of the strategies were not used enough (<3,50). Direct strategies were significantly more used than indirect. Significant differences were among the six subgroups of strategies. The most used were compensatory strategies (3,46), than cognitive (2,95), metacognitive (2,72), social (2,61), memory (2,26), and affective strategies (2,12). Strategies differed in their effectiveness. From the 85 strategies only 46 were found to correlate with the indicators of effectiveness. 87% of these 46 strategies were less used (< 3,50). We cannot state that 1/ the most often used strategies were the most effective at the same time, 2/ that the strategies which were effective regarding the index of long-term learning effectiveness, grades, language skills or proficiency were the same. Otherwise, they differed.