Use Of Vocabulary Learning Strategies Research Articles

VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS OF MATARAM UNIVERSITY IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2014/2015

Vocabulary is crucial to language learning in which lack vocabulary knowledge will make learner difficult to learn the language. Vocabulary knowledge is affected by the vocabulary learning strategies. The purpose of the present study was to identify the vocabulary learning strategies employed by postgraduate students and also try to explore the most and least vocabulary strategy used by Mataram university postgraduate students. The sample of this study was 40 postgraduate students of English department in FKIP Mataram University in academic year 2014/2015. Vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire was used in this study to identify students’ frequency of vocabulary learning strategies use. The result of the study showed that the research subjects used the vocabulary learning strategies in all five categories. The memory strategies (37.80) were the most frequently strategies by all subjects. Meanwhile determination strategies (mean=19.43) were determined as the second frequently used strategies followed by cognitive (mean=15.23), metacognitive (mean=13,26). The social strategies were determined as the least used strategies by all students with mean score of 11.00. In specific, looking at each item of category, the most vocabulary learning strategy used by postgraduate students was guessing from context (mean=3.33) which is part of determination category and the least vocabulary learning strategy used by postgraduate students was ask other people to discover the meaning of new vocabulary (mean=1.50)

The Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies by EFL and EAP Undergraduate University Learners’ in the Iraqi Context

Vocabulary learning is an essential part of foreign or second language learning. This study aims at identifying the most and least common strategies that are used by Iraqi English as a foreign language (EFL) majors and English for academic purposes (EAP) learners. Also, determine the differences that are in EFL and EAP students’ vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) use as well as exploring EFL and EAP students’ views and difficulties. The study samples were 100 undergraduate learners (50 EAP learners and 50 EFL majors studying at Al-iraqia University, Iraq). There were two methods adopted; a validated Likert-scale questionnaire based on a developed version of Schmitt (1997) and further selected four of them for a follow-up semi-structured interview. The results of the survey indicated that EFL and EAP learners’ most common strategy was determination strategy, whereas, the least common strategy was metacognitive. The finding of the independent sample t-test of the five identified categories: metacognitive, determination, cognitive, memory as well as social, indicated that there was no significant difference between EFL and EAP learners’ in the frequency of the use of VLS. The results of the interview indicated that the majority of EFL and EAP learners’ valued the significance role of VLS.

The Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies by EFL and EAP Undergraduate University Learners’ in the Iraqi Context

Vocabulary learning is an essential part of foreign or second language learning. This study aims at identifying the most and least common strategies that are used by Iraqi English as a foreign language (EFL) majors and English for academic purposes (EAP) learners. Also, determine the differences that are in EFL and EAP students’ vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) use as well as exploring EFL and EAP students’ views and difficulties. The study samples were 100 undergraduate learners (50 EAP learners and 50 EFL majors studying at Al-iraqia University, Iraq). There were two methods adopted; a validated Likert-scale questionnaire based on a developed version of Schmitt (1997) and further selected four of them for a follow-up semi-structured interview. The results of the survey indicated that EFL and EAP learners’ most common strategy was determination strategy, whereas, the least common strategy was metacognitive. The finding of the independent sample t-test of the five identified categories: metacognitive, determination, cognitive, memory as well as social, indicated that there was no significant difference between EFL and EAP learners’ in the frequency of the use of VLS. The results of the interview indicated that the majority of EFL and EAP learners’ valued the significance role of VLS.

O strategijama učenja leksike kod studenata stranih filologija

Adequate and purposeful use of vocabulary is one of the primary goals of the process of learning and teaching a foreign language, given that the success in building language competence largely depends on it. Vocabulary learning strategies, as a diverse set of techniques focused on overcoming the various problems that arise when learning words, can help students to achieve this complex goal in the easiest and fastest way possible. While some strategies can be applied spontaneously, teaching practice and research (Oxford, 1990; Gu and Johnson, 1996; Schmitt, 1997; Fan, 2003; Šikmanović, 2013) indicate that students are often unaware of the breadth of the range of strategies at their disposal. The main goal of the research presented in this paper is to provide an insight into the attitudes of students of foreign languages towards the use of vocabulary learning strategies, as well as to examine the interrelationships between their attitudes and the perceived use of the strategies. The research was conducted by using a questionnaire on a sample of 47 respondents, and the results showed a significantly developed awareness of students about the usefulness of vocabulary learning strategies, which does not fully correspond to the recorded patterns of using the strategies. It was observed that students use social strategies the least, while they most often use determination and memorisation strategies, but they consider the cognitive and metacognitive types of strategies to be the most useful.

Vocabulary Acquisition Style in the ESL Classroom: A Survey on the Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies by the Primary 3 Learners

The factor that influences the effectiveness of vocabulary acquisition is the use of vocabulary learning strategies. It is one of the crucial factors that affect the success of English vocabulary learning. This study aims to explore the vocabulary learning strategies that mostly preferred by Primary 3 school pupils in a primary school of Padawan district, Sarawak. The survey design was employed and used questionnaire to collect the data from the participants. They were randomly chosen from Primary 3 class. Seven vocabulary learning strategies were adapted in conducting the survey namely dictionary strategies, guessing strategies, study preferences, memory strategies, autonomy learning, note-taking strategies and social strategies. The outcomes showed that majority of primary 3 pupils were strongly agreed that memory strategies were the most preferred strategies used to learn vocabulary, followed by dictionary strategies and guessing strategies. Thus, language teachers are recommended to be aware of the pupils’ learning styles at different proficiency, and apply various teaching and learning methods according to current education contexts.

English Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Engineering Science Students

This study investigated the use of vocabulary learning strategies by the students of engineering sciences. It focused on the frequency of use of strategy by them in learning technical terms and investigated the strategies related to success and failure of learning technical terms in the target language, English. In brief, this study enumerated the most frequently used strategies and least frequently used strategies by the participants. A comparison was also made between the highly proficient and less proficient learners in the least and most frequently used vocabulary learning strategies. The results of this study showed that learners prefer to use written repetition, verbal repetition, and bilingual dictionary strategies. A significant use of learning strategies among successful learners was found and the findings showed that proficient l earners used a variety of strategies while less proficient learners used a comparatively smaller number of strategies. Neither the proficient learners nor the low proficient learners are good at employing social strategies to discover the meaning of new technical terms.

The Relationship between Libyan EFL Learners’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Their Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

The recent research investigated the relationship between Libyan English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ beliefs and their use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs). The respondents were 200 students studying English at Tripoli University, Faculty of Education-Janzour. The data was collected through two sets of instruments: (i) a questionnaire of vocabulary learning strategies which was designed by Schmitt (1997) to determine the frequency of VLS use and (ii) a questionnaire of Vocabulary Learning Self-Efficacy Beliefs adapted from a study conducted by Tseng (2006). Collected data was quantitatively analyzed utilizing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25. The results demonstrated that respondents of this study were medium-level users of strategy with average rating of 3.4 and standard deviation of 0.5 for overall rating use of strategy. Furthermore, the most used VLS category was determination strategies (3.74), while the category of metacognitive strategies (M= 3.16) was the least used among all the five VLSs used by the participants. Based on the results, learners had positive beliefs about vocabulary learning, which were significantly positively related to their use of vocabulary learning strategies (r= 0.511), in generally, and the use of five subcategories, in particularly. Thus, it was found that vocabulary learning strategies use increases as the self-efficacy of students increases.

Vocabulary Learning Strategies Employed by Thai University Students across Four Academic Profiles

The present study explored the use of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) by undergraduate Thai EFL students doing an academic reading course at a comprehensive university in northeastern Thailand and examined if there was a significant difference between the students' use of VLS and their academic majors. A five-point Likert-scale questionnaire with 41 items adapted from Jones’s (2006) taxonomy of VLS which was categorized into 8 different strategies was administered to a group of 267 Thai undergraduate students purposively selected from across four academic majors–Business major (BM), Engineering major (EM), Agriculture major (AM), and Health science major (HM). The results revealed that the students were moderate users of VLS, with dictionary and note-taking strategies being reported as the most frequently used VLS and selective attention the least frequently used VLS. The results of One-way ANOVA showed that the students were significantly different (p<.05) in using five out of eight strategies. Post hoc comparisons using Scheffe test showed that health science students used VLS more frequently than the rest of academic majors.

Questionnaire instrumentation for strategic vocabulary learning in the Swedish as a second language learning context

This article reports on the final round of piloting for a questionnaire instrument created and designed with the intention of collecting self-report data on adult, beginner Swedish L2 learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies. The Swedish Vocabulary Learning Strategy Survey (SVLSS) version 1.2 is distributed to 182 participants studying Swedish at institutes of higher learning in Sweden. The collected data set is subject to exploratory factor analysis to explore initial interpretations of the underlying constructs of the instrument, and analyzed for content validity and internal consistency. Readability and accessibility of the instrument is also addressed. Initial findings and interpretations are used to guide the development of a preliminary VLS taxonomy for the SVLSS, as well as suggest and perform revisions that will result in the SVLSS 2.0.

HEALTH CARE AND SPORT STUDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN A LATVIAN HEI

The aim of the research is to find out the characteristics of the English language learning strategy use in the students of two study Programs – Sport Science and Healthcare (Physiotherapy) in a Latvian higher education institution, using LLSU Inventory, developed in CARLA Center, University of Minnesota. The results show that both Program students are aware of the strategies and quite use them, mean = 2.63 for Listening Strategy and Vocabulary learning Strategy use, SD= .36 and .40 respectively. However, Physiotherapy student, e.g., use Listening Strategies more that the researched Sport Science students (Sig. (2-tailed) = .02, i.e., < .05)). Physiotherapy students more often “Plan out what to say or write in my own language and then translate it into the target language” (t=-2.12, Sig. (2-tailed) <.001).Although statistically significant small differences between both Program student languages learning strategy use were found, yet the strategy use of both Program students is generally the same. Program developers should consider the differences of student learning strategies; need to know which they students prefer, and which are still to develop.

EFL 학습자의 어휘 지식과 어휘 학습 전략 사용 간의 구조적 관계

The Journal of Studies in Language 35.1, 039-052. The current study aims at investigating the structural relationships between EFL learners’ vocabulary knowledge and their vocabulary learning strategy use depending upon their level of vocabulary knowledge. For the study, 1,124 high-school students were divided into two groups according to their vocabulary knowledge. The results showed that there were significant differences in the students’ vocabulary learning strategy use according to their vocabulary knowledge, and that three factors for high-level students (context use, repetition in writing, and learning range of words) and two for those in low level (meaning checking and learning range of words) had direct influence on the enhancement of their vocabulary knowledge, and other factors in each level exerted indirect influence through the direct factors. Teaching implications are discussed. (Chungnam National University)

The Structural Relationships between EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Knowledge and Their Vocabulary Learning Strategy Use

The Structural Relationships between EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Knowledge and Their Vocabulary Learning Strategy Use

Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs) Employed by Learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

Learning a new language entails various challenges, one of these is grasping the vocabulary of the language. A significant way to tackle the problem is to motivate students to become independent learners during the progression of second language (L2) vocabulary learning. Thus, this study intended to explore the use of different vocabulary learning strategies among adult English as foreign language learners and investigated the various vocabulary learning strategies and found the benefits and drawbacks associated with each strategy. It was able to select the most frequently and least frequently used VLSs by learners who have completed the language program and those who are continuing the course. Further, it found effective strategies that could be used in teaching vocabulary to students. The research used a quantitative method approach with 53 participants who were EFL learners took part in the questionnaire survey. The results of the present study reveal the common strategies that foreign language learners use in vocabulary learning. The VLSs from this study will not only benefit students of the English language but can easily to be used by learners of other second languages globally. Finally, the paper discusses different strategies at length, gives valuable recommendations in the discussion section and concludes with implications for future research.

English Vocabulary Knowledge and Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Korean Elementary School Students

The present study explored the use of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) of Korean elementary school students according to their individual learner variables, and also sought to discover the relationship of VLS and vocabulary knowledge breadth and depth. For the purpose of the study, data of 272 students were collected through Vocabulary Learning Strategies Survey (VLSS), Vocabulary Test: 1,000 Word Level Test B (VT), 500-level Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (500 PVLT), and Word Associates Test (WAT). It was found that the learners’ variables of vocabulary proficiency, gender and living region significantly influenced the use of VLS. Regarding the relation of VLS to vocabulary knowledge, the correlation analyses revealed that five subcategories of VLS were significantly related with both dimensions of vocabulary knowledge, the most prominent being the Discovery-Determination (DD) strategies. The findings of this study suggest that there are significant relationship between VLS and vocabulary knowledge of the students. Acknowledging that VLS enable L2 learners to broaden and deepen their lexicon, the teachers and researchers are recommended to give more attention to VLS for their pedagogical practices and theoretical considerations.

Nauczanie języka obcego w grupie uczniów niewidomych i słabowidzących – przegląd badań

The paper concerns foreign language typhlomethodology and presents an overview of available research findings in the field, arranged in chronological order. The studies discussed in the paper have insight into either first language acquisition or foreign language learning by visually impaired learners. The former shed light on the potential problems the visually impaired might have while learning foreign languages. The problems might emerge both in the phonological or semantic domain. The latter, in turn, discuss such issues as the use of foreign language vocabulary learning strategies and the role of affective factors which facilitate the language learning process. Nowadays the European Union promotes ‘Languages to All’ principle, i.e. teaching languages to all groups of learners, regardless of their disabilities and impairments, preferably in inclusive education setting. Therefore, foreign language teachers should be acquainted with the research findings and their implications presented herein.

The Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies in Relation to Vocabulary Size of Students in Chinese Universities

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.

Exploring the Effects of Metacognitive Strategies on Vocabulary Learning of Japanese Junior High School Students

Vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) play a crucial role in L2 vocabulary education. Although it is assumed that metacognitive VLS are effective, few studies have empirically investigated this assumption. This paper, therefore, conducted a study in order to establish a comprehensive taxonomy of metacognitive VLS and explored the relationship between the use of metacognitive VLS and vocabulary knowledge. A vocabulary size test and a VLS questionnaire were administered to 132 Japanese junior high school students. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. The results showed a total of 20 metacognitive VLS and categorized them into six. Among the six metacognitive VLS, input seeking was a positive predictor of test scores at any frequency level, while spaced learning, guessing with confidence, and note making varied in effectiveness depending on word frequency. These results suggest it is important to encourage students to learn vocabulary outside the classroom, teach basic affix knowledge, and facilitate students in making vocabulary notebooks.

The Relationship between Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Vocabulary of Learners of Turkish as Foreign or Second Language

The aim of this study is to find out which vocabulary learning strategies learners of Turkish in Turkey and abroad use, to compare and contrast vocabulary learning strategies used by these two group of learners, to determine whether learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies are influenced by a set of variables including age, gender, language level, and another foreign language learnt, and to identify the relationship, if any, between vocabulary and the use of vocabulary learning strategies. This study used a relational screening model that allows drawing comparisons and correlations. The data were collected in 2017-2018 using the Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning Strategies Scale developed by Kocaman and Kizilkaya-Cumaoglu (2014) and vocabulary tests designed by the researcher considering different language levels. The sample consisted of 182 learners of Turkish in Turkey and abroad. In the analysis of the data, parametric and nonparametric tests were used together on the basis of the normality distribution of the data. The data were analyzed using the t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), the Tukey’s test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and correlation analysis. The analysis results showed that the mean frequency of strategy use was medium, the type and frequency of strategies used by the learners varied according to language levels, gender and the place of learning Turkish (in Turkey or abroad) had a limited and statistically insignificant effect on the use of strategies, previous learning of another foreign or second language has an effect on the use of vocabulary learning strategy, the place of learning led to a significant variation in vocabulary achievement, and there was a strong, positive and significant correlation between the use of vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary.

Vocabulary learning estrategies: their relation to learning success

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.

Vocabulary learning estrategies: their relation to learning success

<p>En el ámbito de la investigación en enseñanza de segundas lenguas, hay un movimiento reciente que busca identificar las estrategias de aprendizaje de vocabulario. Sin embargo, la mayoría de estos estudios se han centrado en la identificación de las estrategias en sí, más que en la relación de estas con otros aspectos del aprendizaje de vocabulario. Este estudio presenta un análisis del uso de estrategias de aprendizaje de vocabulario y su relación con el nivel de vocabulario receptivo. Para ello, setenta alumnos de cuarto curso de educación secundaria participaron en el estudio. Se les pidió que respondieran el primer nivel del Vocabulary Levels Tests (Schmitt, Schmitt & Clapham, 2001) y un cuestionario sobre el uso de estrategias de aprendizaje de vocabulario, adaptado de la taxonomía de Schmitt (1997). Los datos se examinaron buscando una posible relación entre el tamaño de vocabulario receptivo y un mayor o menor uso de determinadas estrategias de aprendizaje. Los resultados tienen una aplicación práctica en la enseñanza de lenguas, ya que, con la identificación de las estrategias más fructíferas, los docentes podrán facilitar su uso en el aula, convirtiendo así los esfuerzos de los alumnos en experiencias satisfactorias.</p>