Vocabulary learning estrategies: their relation to learning success

Abstract

In the fields of Second Language Acquisition, there is a recent trend towards the identification of vocabulary learning strategies. However, the majority of this work has focused on the identification of strategies itself, rather than relating it to vocabulary mastery. This article presents a study on the use of vocabulary learning strategies and their relation to receptive vocabulary size. To do so, seventy secondary-school learners took part in the study. They were asked to respond the 2K version of the Vocabulary Levels Test (Schmitt, Schmitt & Clapham, 2001) and a vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire, adapted from Schmitt’s taxonomy (1997). The data were examined looking into how the use of vocabulary learning strategies related to larger or smaller receptive vocabulary size. Results will have practical implications in language teaching, as, with the identification of those most useful strategies, teachers will be able to foster their use, turning learners’ efforts into a more successful experience.