Abstract
The study tends to explore vocabulary learning beliefs and strategies employed by students in Chinese universities. The correlations between beliefs/strategies and students’ vocabulary size are also addressed to show the impact of the different vocabulary learning strategies on students’ vocabulary size in China. A questionnaire and a vocabulary test were administered to 105 students from two universities. The questionnaire is adapted from Gu and Hu [1] and the vocabulary levels test is selected from Nation’s [2] vocabulary levels test (the university word list level) to evaluate students’ vocabulary size. With SPSS, statistical descriptions and pearson correlation are undertaken to process the data collected. The analyses of the data reveal that students in Chinese universities are interested in learning vocabulary. They report adopting a number of learning strategies in their vocabulary learning processes. They appear to use metacognitive strategies more often when they learn vocabulary, especially self-initiation. At cognitive level, they are both inclined to adopt dictionary use, guessing, note-taking and activation strategies very often, while encoding and rehearsal are less used. Their vocabulary size has a strong relation with their strategy use at cognitive level, a moderate relation at overall and metacognitive level and no relation with their learning beliefs. The study suggests that teachers should encourage students to hold a positive belief on vocabulary learning and to employ both metacognitive and cognitive strategies in learning vocabulary. Students should pay as much attention to cognitive strategies as to metacognitive strategies.
Highlights
Just as Wilkins [3] put it, “Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”
Rivers [5] illustrated that vocabulary is essential for second language learning because without an extensive vocabulary, we can’t use the structure we want for comprehensible communication
Cook [7] held that grammar provided the overall patterns while vocabulary provided the material to put in these patterns
Summary
Just as Wilkins [3] put it, “Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. Krashen and Terrell [4] indicated that vocabulary is of prime concern in second language context for its dominant role in academic achievements. Rivers [5] illustrated that vocabulary is essential for second language learning because without an extensive vocabulary, we can’t use the structure we want for comprehensible communication. Vocabulary plays an important role in second language learning. Vocabulary is the very basis of learning a language. The size of one’s vocabulary will have an effect on one’s language proficiency. Learning strategies are of great account while learning a language. The knowledge of learning strategies is important because it will facilitate language learning considerably. As vocabulary is so important in second language acquisition, the strategies adopted by successful learners in vocabulary learning is worth discussing. Some linguists and educators [12,13] have already begun their studies on vocabulary learning strategies in China
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