Investigating Strategies Developed by University Students in Learning English Vocabulary

Abstract

Vocabulary knowledge is an integral aspect in learning a foreign language since the connotations of new vocabularies are widely highlighted, whether by language teachers or syllabus designers themselves. Vocabulary learning is the core of language learning and teaching due to the bouncing role vocabulary plays in supporting learner’s repertoire of language. The present term-paper is intended to shed the light on the importance of learning new vocabularies and the strategies developed by learners in learning more vocabularies. The research is based on an experiment that a sample of (30)students of 2nd -year students in English Department at the College of Education / Ibn-Rushd- University of Baghdad for the academic year 2018-2019 randomly selected to take a pre- test on antonyms and synonyms strategy developed in learning and comprehending the vocabulary embodied in reading passages within a textbook. After three months course teaching of selected passages of the textbook (Select Readings by Lee and Bernard:2011) where the antonyms and synonyms strategy highlighted among other strategies a post-test is administered. Eventually, so as to capture the possible significance of developing such a strategy on students’ achievement a(Mann-Whitney U test ) is utilized. The results come to refute the null hypothesis, and turn out positively the consolidation accomplished through developing the antonyms and synonyms strategy specifically when enhanced by up-to-date online dictionaries to search for the most appropriate synonyms or antonyms to the vocabulary embodied within reading passages.