Statement of Problem
In recent decades, researchers in the field of second language acquisition have shown great interest in learners‟ individual characteristics that can affect the learners‟ success in language learning The results of studies on second language learners‟ beliefs have revealed that beliefs about second/foreign language learning are strong influential factors on learning achievements, leading to a new wave of attention to beliefs about language learning (Heidari, Izadi, & Ahmadian, 2011) Researchers have found that second language learners come to the language class with some preconceived ideas or beliefs about language and language learning and that these beliefs can indicate what expectations the learners have and what actions in their language learning they will take (Abraham & Vann, 1987; Holec, 1987, Hortwitz, 1985; Wenden, 1987) Therefore, researchers have been investigating the beliefs that second language learners possess and the factors that affect learners‟ beliefs in order to find ways to help learners adjust their beliefs to facilitate their language learning
Vocabulary learning has been identified as their greatest problem in English learning (Si, 2005) Vocabulary learning beliefs, another learner variable that influences vocabulary learning (Moir & Nation, 2002; Gu, 2005), is an under- researched area Although the importance of learners‟ beliefs is now generally recognized in the field of English language education, few studies have been reported about learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning It is widely perceived that vocabulary learning is important and that vocabulary learning outcomes are not satisfactory for most learners As beliefs are factors influencing vocabulary learning strategies, it is necessary to investigate learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning so as appropriate pedagogical interventions can be decided to help learners to learn vocabulary more effectively and efficiently In other words, understanding learners‟ varied orientations toward vocabulary learning can provide teachers with information to guide their teaching which is aimed at developing the students‟ vocabulary
As language learning beliefs can be shaped by culture and context (Horwitz,
1988), and language learning strategy choice is influenced by factors such as beliefs, cultural background and types of task (Oxford, 1994), the vocabulary learning beliefs may also differ among learners in different learning cultures and contexts.
Aims of the Study
The study was designed to achieve the two following aims:
1 To explore the beliefs about English language vocabulary learning held by a group of students in a Vietnamese specialized secondary school
2 To find out the vocabulary learning strategies employed by this group of students
3 To examine the extent to which their beliefs affect their choice of vocabulary learning strategies
Research Questions
In order to achieve the above aims, the study was designed to answer the following questions:
1 What are the beliefs about vocabulary learning held by the English-specializing stream students?
2 What vocabulary learning strategies do these students self-report that they use in learning vocabulary?
3 How do their beliefs influence their use of vocabulary learning strategies?
Methods of the Study
In order to provide a more objective and comprehensive picture of learners‟
VLB and VLS in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context, the present study adopted a mixed methods approach The study was conducted among the students studying in one specialized secondary school in Quang Ninh province.
Significance of the Study
Many researchers have suggested that knowledge of the students‟ beliefs about language learning should provide teachers with better understandings of their students‟
“expectation of, commitment to, success in, and satisfaction with their language classes” (Horwitz, 1988, p 283) Thus, findings of this study would help classroom teachers to find more effective ways of helping the students to learn English vocabulary better.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition of Learner Beliefs
While the significance of researching beliefs has been widely acknowledged, defining what belief is a big challenge because of the complexity of the concept
Pajares (1992) refers to it as a “messy construct” Horwitz (1985), one of the pioneer researchers of the studies on beliefs about language learning, did not give any definition of beliefs about language learning in her articles She used the terms such as
“preconceptions”, “preconceived ideas”, and “preconceived notions” to refer to
„beliefs‟ without giving specific descriptions about the construct Huang (1997) viewed beliefs about language learning as “preconceptions language learners have about the task of learning the target language” (p 20)
Hosenfeld (1978) viewed learner beliefs as their „mini theories‟ of L2 learning which shape the way they set about the learning task These theories are made up of beliefs about language and language learning Clearly „beliefs‟ constitute an individual difference variable notably different from the other individual difference factors such as language aptitude or motivation but, like these variables, beliefs influence both the process and product of learning Also, like a number of other individual difference variables, they are dynamic and situated
Richardson (1996) defined beliefs as “psychologically held understandings, premises, or propositions about the world that are felt to be true” ( p.102), and these beliefs were said to act as strong filters of reality (Arnold, 1999)
Despite the variety of terms, learners‟ beliefs can be broadly defined as opinions and ideas that learners have about the task of learning a second/foreign language (Kalaja & Barcelos, 2003) Borg (2001) sums up the common features of beliefs and develops the following definition:
A belief is a proposition which may be consciously or unconsciously held, is evaluative in that it is accepted as true by the individual, and is therefore imbued with emotive commitment; further, it serves as a guide to thought and behaviour (Borg, 2001, p 186)
This definition is adopted for this study because the study was aimed at identifying the high school learners‟ vocabulary learning behaviours in learning English as a foreign language and what guides those behaviours
Horwitz (1987) concludes that some beliefs are probably shaped by students‟ previous experiences as language learners, and other beliefs are probably shaped by students‟ cultural background
Learner belief is a central construct which deals with human behaviour and influence learners‟ consciousness, learning attitude, learning strategies (Horwitz,
1985) During the last two decades, second language learning researchers have spent a lot of effort on the cognitive aspects of language learning Research indicates that individual students differ considerably in their use of learning strategies (e.g Altan, 2003; O‟Malley Chamot, 1990; Oxford, 1992,1993) An important question is what causes students to approach a specific language task differently What accounts for the individual differences observed even among learners with similar language proficiency? A reasonable answer may be found in learner perception Since we are what we believe in, in recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on students‟ beliefs about the nature of language learning and the strategies they use
The literature on learner beliefs has been identified beliefs as an important individual difference variable in second language (L2) learning (Kalaja & Barcelos,
2003) The importance of learner beliefs lies in the fact that they underlie learner behavior to a large extent (Horwitz, 1988) Grotjahn (1991) argues that learner beliefs are “highly individual, relatively stable, and relatively enduring” (p 189) and that studying learner beliefs might help explain and predict behaviors that learners demonstrate when learning an L2 In addition, research indicates that L2 learner beliefs correlate with strategy use, motivation, proficiency (Mori, 1999; Yang, 1999), learner anxiety, and autonomous learning (Kalaja & Barcelos, 2003) Furthermore, learner beliefs may influence teachers‟ classroom activities (Borg, 2003; Burgess &
Etherington, 2002), and unrealistic beliefs or misconceptions about language learning can impede the learning process (Sawir, 2002)
In cognitive psychology, learner beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning, or epistemological beliefs, have been investigated with the idea that they are part of the underlying mechanisms of metacognition (Flavell, 1987; Ryan, 1984), form the building blocks of epistemology (Goldman, 1986), and are a driving force in intellectual performance Psychologists have begun to acknowledge the pervasive influence of personal and social epistemologies on academic learning, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving (Schommer, 1993), persistence (Dweck & Leggett,
1988), and interpretation of information (Ryan, 1984; Schommer, 1990)
From this perspective, beliefs about language learning are viewed as a component of metacognitive knowledge (Flavell, 1987), which include all that individuals understand about themselves as learners and thinkers, including their goals and needs Flavell (1979, 1981) emphasizes the study of meta-cognitive knowledge in second language learning and focuses on the person He calls this "person knowledge."
Person knowledge is knowledge learners have acquired about how cognitive and affective factors such as learner aptitude, personality, and motivation may influence learning In addition, it includes specific knowledge about how the above factors apply in their experience For example, is it the learners' belief that they do, or do not, have an aptitude for learning another language or, that their particular type of personality will inhibit or facilitate language learning (Wenden, 2001)
In the classroom context, the perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and metacognitive knowledge that students bring with them to the learning situation have been recognized as a significant contributory factor in the learning process and ultimate success (Breen,
2001) For example, second or foreign language students may hold strong beliefs about the nature of the language under study, its difficulty, the process of its acquisition, the success of certain learning strategies, the existence of aptitude, their own expectations about achievement and teaching methodologies Identification of these beliefs and reflection on their potential impact on language learning and teaching in general, as well as in more specific areas such as the learners' expectations and strategies used, can inform future syllabus design and teacher practice in the course Pedagogy has the capacity to provide the opportunities and conditions within which these learner contributions are found to have a positive effect upon learning and may be more fully engaged (Breen, 2001; Arnold, 1999)
Research on the beliefs about language learning since Horwitz‟s pioneering study in 1985 has shown that some of these beliefs held by learners have damaging effects on their learning However, there is still a great shortage of research that investigates the beliefs of learners and especially on those who are foreign-language major students Recent research on the beliefs of second and foreign language learners‟ beliefs has examined different learning settings in different cultures( e.g
Wenden,1986; Horwitz 1985, 1987, 1988) These research studies have collected and analyzed data on learners‟ beliefs in different ways and they were mainly done with those learning foreign languages However, very few empirical studies have researched Vietnamese high school learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary and vocabulary learning
Vocabulary Strategies
Vocabulary learning strategies are one part of language learning strategies which in turn are part of general learning strategies (Nation, 2001 cited in Lotfi, 2007)
According to Schmitt (1997 cited in Lotfi, 2007) there are two groups of strategies: the ones to determine the meaning of new words when encountered for the first time, and the ones to consolidate meaning when encountered again The former contains determination and social strategies and the latter contains cognitive, meta-cognitive, memory and social strategies To Schmitt (1997), determination strategies are used when “learners are faced with discovering the meaning of new word without recourse to another person‟s experience” (cited in Lofti, 2007).
Beliefs and Strategy Use
Researchers (Abraham & Vann, 1987; Horwitz, 1987, 1988) have suggested connections between learners‟ metacognitive knowledge or beliefs about language learning and their choice of language learning strategies Based on her survey of university foreign language students, Horwitz (1988) argues that some preconceived beliefs are likely to restrict learners‟ range of strategy use In addition, Abraham and Vann (1987) have also suggested that learners‟ beliefs about how language operates and, consequently, how it is learned may affect the variety and flexibility of their strategy use Yang (1999) found that Taiwanese students‟ self-efficacy beliefs about learning English were strongly related to their use of all types of learning strategies Gu and Johnson (1996) used a vocabulary learning questionnaire to elicit 850 Chinese students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning and their self-reported vocabulary learning strategies They found that, overall, these learners emphasized the belief that vocabulary should be memorized, put to use and acquired in context The result also indicated that the students employed a wide range of vocabulary learning strategies such as guessing, dictionary use, note-taking, etc in accordance with their beliefs
Park (1995) investigated 332 Korean university EFL students‟ beliefs about language learning, their use of language learning strategies and the relationship among their beliefs, strategy use, and L2 proficiency The findings of this study showed a strong correlation between the students‟ beliefs about language learning and their use of learning strategies
Li (2004) used the questionnaire and interviews to explore Chinese EFL learners‟ beliefs about the role of rote learning in vocabulary learning strategies The study showed that the Chinese students held positive beliefs about rote learning and rote learning including repetition, memorization, practice, and reviewing were the main vocabulary learning strategies these students reported they used frequently
Heidari, Izadi, & Ahmadian (2011) reported the results of their survey on 50 junior EFL students studying English at an Iranian university Most of these students used memory strategies frequently while the metacognitive strategies were the least frequently used Also, the study showed a strong relationship between students‟ beliefs and their use of vocabulary learning strategies.
Chapter Summary
This chapter presents the literature on language learners‟ beliefs with a focus on learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning As indicated in this literature review, learner beliefs have a great influence on the students‟ choice of second language learning strategies, including vocabulary learning strategies In other words, learners‟ beliefs shape the way they learn the second language in general and the way they learn second language vocabulary in particular This implies that research on learners‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning plays an important role in understanding learners‟ success or failures in second language learning and in vocabulary learning The literature review also shows that vocabulary is so important in second language learning, therefore we need to investigate the students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning in an attempt to make decisions on how to help the learners learn vocabulary better However, as the chapter shows that there is little research on learner beliefs about vocabulary learning, and this is really a research gap that needs to be filled Next chapter presents the study
THE STUDY
The questionnaire
The use of Likert- scale questionaires is very common in researching second language learners‟ beliefs Horwitz (1985, 1987) is generally credited with initiating significant research into beliefs with the development of the BALLI- Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory Horwitz (1985, 1987) used this 34- item questionaire to explore students‟, teachers‟, and pre- service teachers‟ beliefs Due to its high popularity, BALLI was consequently used in a number of small and large- scale research studies ( see Horwitz (1999) for a review of BALLI studies)
Apart from the BALLI, other Likert-type questionnaires were developed to investigate language learner beliefs (e.g., Cotterall, 1999; Kuntz, 1996; Sakui & Gaies,
1999) For instance, Sakui and Gaies (1999) investigated 1,296 Japanese EFL learners' beliefs at public and private institutions of higher education using their own instrument
The study aimed to validate a 45-item questionnaire and examine the value of interview data to complement and explain the questionnaire data, and to describe Japanese learners' beliefs, as well as to determine the organization of these beliefs
Their findings suggest that beliefs about language learning are dynamic and situationally conditioned The results provided a tentative support for the view that Japanese learners have internalized a coherent set of beliefs about methodological options for the EFL classroom instruction
In this study a Likert-type questionnaire (see Appendix A) , which was composed of 22 questions was used to collect the data All these questions were developed with reference to the vocabulary learning literature They were written in both English and Vietnamese to make sure that the respondents, who were high school students, are able to understand the meaning of each question accurately After the questionnaire was developed, it was revised in consultation with the supervisor before it was administered to the student participants
The questions covered three categories: (i) beliefs about the importance of vocabulary in learning English as a foreign language (Questions 1, 9, 17, 18, 19); (ii) beliefs about vocabulary learning (Questions 2, 5, 8, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22); (iii) and vocabulary learning strategies (Questions 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 20)
Interviews can be described as “the elicitation of data by one person from another through person-to-person encounters” (Nunan, 1992, p 231) Swetnam (1997) states that interviewing is a method of data collection that can stand on its own or be a follow-up to another method For example, interviews may offer insights that help researchers to interpret responses to questionnaires (p 53) Interviews were used in this study for the purpose of allowing the researched students to reveal aspects of their beliefs which were not addressed in the questionnaire.
Participants
Participants in this study (N= 95) were grade- 11 students at a specialized secondary school in a northern province English is their specialized subject They were chosen conveniently They were invited to participate in the study by answering the questionnaire and the interview if selected Those who agreed to participate, answered the questionnaire, and those who did not agree to participate did not return the questionnaire (In fact, the return rate was 100%) Before the questionnaire was distributed, all of them were told about the purpose of the study and that their names would not be used in the study In fact, the questionnaire was anonymous Because the study did not aim to identify variables affecting their beliefs, no personal information was asked for
2 4 Findings 2.4 1 Quantitative Data Table 2.1 Beliefs about the importance of vocabulary (N)
SD D DK A SA Mean SD
Q1: Learning words is an important part of learning English
Q9: Vocabulary is the most important part in learning English
Q17: Vocabulary is not as important as grammar
Q18: It is necessary to do as many grammar exercises as possible in order to study English well
Q19: Vocabulary exercises do not help me learn English well
Notes: SD: Strongly disagree; D: Disagree; DK: Don’t know;
A: Agree; SA: Strongly agree SD: Standard Deviation
As indicated in Table 2.1, a great majority of the students surveyed agreed that vocabulary learning is an important part of learning English with 37.9 % and 58.9% of the respondents agreeing and strongly agreeing with this respectively However, only a little more than half of them believed that vocabulary learning is the most important part in learning English Approximately one-third of the respondents disagreed with this idea and more than 15.0% of them did not have any idea in this regard It is interesting to note that more than two-thirds of the respondents did not agreed that vocabulary is not as important as grammar while only a tiny percentage agreed (5.3%) or strongly agreed with this statement The number of the students with negative beliefs about the importance of grammar exercises was almost equal to those with positive beliefs (43.2% vs 42.2%) Particularly, as many as 73.7 % of the students did not believe that vocabulary exercises were of no help to their learning English
Table 2.2 Beliefs about the importance of vocabulary learning (N)
SD D DK A SA Mean SD
Q2: Vocabulary learning includes learning the spelling, the use and part of speech of the word
Q5: The meaning of the word is fixed, not changed by the user
Q8: It is necessary to learn words by guessing their meaning in context
Q14: The quickest way of expanding vocabulary is through reading English frequently
Q15: Listening to English frequently is effective to learning vocabulary
Q16: When coming across a new word, it is necessary to look it up in the dictionary and to identify its meaning in a particular context
Q21: Learning words through pictures is more effective
Q22: Learning words by heart in the textbook is enough for using English well
Students‟ beliefs about different vocabulary learning strategies are presented in Table 2.2 It seemed that most of the students held positive beliefs about appropriate vocabulary learning strategies such as guessing the meaning from context, learning vocabulary incidentally through extensive reading and listening Most of them believed that English words are polysemantic and that learning English words in the textbooks was not enough with 48.4% and 44.2% of them strongly disagreed and disagreed respectively with this statement
Questions 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 20 were designed to gain information about the strategies the students self-reported that they used in learning English vocabulary Results are presented in Table 2.3 below
Table 2.3 Students’ self-report of the vocabulary learning strategies they used
SD D DK A SA Mean SD
Q3: I memorize new words by reading it again and again
Q4: I often try to learn single words by heart
Q6: I learn new words by writing new words in my vocabulary notebook
Q7:I learn new words by translating them into Vietnamese
Q10: I connect the new word and an image or picture of the word in
0.0 2.1 13.7 51.6 31.6 4.13 72 order to remember the word For example, I make a mental picture of ‘qua cam’ when learning the word ‘orange’
Q11: I memorize new words by grouping them into categories (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, noun, verb)
Q12: I revise words by doing a lot of vocabulary exercises
Q13: I memorize words by putting them into themes or topics
Q20: I memorize words by using them frequently in speaking and writing
Ten students were randomly chosen among the 95 questionnaire respondents for a semi-structured interview (see Appendix B for the interview guide), which was conducted after the questionnaire responses were analyzed The purpose of the interview was to gain complementary information about the students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning to the information gained by means of the questionnaire The information gained from the interview was categorized for analysis Categorization was decided through the frequency of key content words The three following categories were found: (i) beliefs about the importance of vocabulary; (ii) beliefs about how vocabulary was best learned; and (iii) beliefs about teacher‟ vocabulary instruction
Beliefs about importance of vocabulary
All the students participating in the interview expressed the same belief about the importance of vocabulary in learning English as a foreign language Following are extracts of students‟ responses from the interview:
Vocabulary is as important as grammar Grammar helps the speaker (and the writer) to express ideas clearly but a rich vocabulary helps them to express their ideas in different ways without changing the meaning
Vocabulary is extremely important in learning English, at least as important as grammar because vocabulary is the foundation of English
Without good vocabulary in learning English, it is like going in a dark tunnel without any light The more vocabulary you have the more light you have So, it is easier for you to do listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar exercises
Vocabulary is the most important because: (1) lack of vocabulary leads to lack of understanding; lack of understanding leads to lack of the ability to do things; and (2) in communicating with foreigners, grammar is not considered What matters is to make yourself understood That‟s why vocabulary is very important
Beliefs about teacher’s vocabulary instruction
Translation seemed to be the teaching strategy that many students preferred even though some preferred the teacher to code-mix Below are the extracts from what they said in the interview:
Words about familiar things in the daily life should be explained in Vietnamese while academic words should be explained in English because translation of these words makes me confused
I like the teacher to translate the difficult words I also like the teacher to use synonyms to explain words
I want the teacher to explain the word in English first, then translate it into Vietnamese This helps me understand the meaning in Vietnamese and I can learn other English words
Self-reported vocabulary learning strategies
Table 2.4 Strategies preferences reported by the students in the interviews (N)
Making up vocabulary cards/lists and memorizing them
Using Vietnamese equivalents (i.e translation) in understanding English words
Reading and writing words many times 3 Guessing the meanings of words in context 1 Writing new words in vocabulary notebooks according to themes and topics
One student said that she used a strategy which is similar to the word cards in the form of Word Wall to learn new words Interestingly, she did not look at the words she wrote frequently She said what she often did was
Note down new words and stick the words on the TV, fridge or computer so that I see them everywhere However, sometimes, I am too busy to look at them
Another student said that she used a vocabulary note-book in which she wrote all the new words and their Vietnamese translation
I write the words in the note-books I divide the page into two columns : one for the English words and the other for their meanings in Vietnamese This is a quick way of learning words It‟s easy to remember I also write words on sheets of paper and stick them somewhere in the house It helps
Using the dictionary was mentioned by one student, who said that it did not help, “When I come across a new word, I look it up in the dictionary, but it is not effective.” Using flashcards was mentioned by another student
I use flashcard On one side is the English word and on the other side is the Vietnamese equivalent I also write the word and its meaning on my note-books To learn vocabulary, you need to be patient
Especially, one student said that she enjoyed learning words by listening to English songs, then trying to guess the meaning of the unknown words
I like listening to English songs Words in the song are easy to remember
For example, The wind is howling like a swirling storm inside There are two words: howling and swirling While I read the sentence I can guess the meaning (strong wind) because of the word „storm’ This way of learning is relaxing and effective.
Discussion
The findings in this study are similar to the previous studies on students‟ beliefs and vocabulary learning strategies use (e.g Heidari, Izadi, & Ahmadian, 2011) The students in this study, in general, believed that vocabulary was important to their learning English However, only around half of them believed that vocabulary was the most important part in learning English Probably, they believed that vocabulary was as important as grammar This is justified by nearly 60.0% of them stating that vocabulary was as important as grammar Also, they strongly believed that doing vocabulary exercises helped them to learn vocabulary better (73.7%) A majority of them did not believe that it was enough to learn words in the textbooks This is supported by the fact that a majority of them believed in the usefulness of learning words through reading, and listening to English songs
It seemed that they had good knowledge about vocabulary learning The great majority of them (88.4%) believed that vocabulary knowledge included the formal knowledge of words (Nation, 1990) and they understood that English words did not have fixed meaning However, they seemed to have conflicting beliefs about ways of learning words This is justified by a similar number of them who agreed with conflicting ways of learning vocabulary For example, while 86.3% agreed that guessing was a good way of learning new words, while a similar number (75.8%) believed that using the dictionary was a good way of learning the meaning of new words although one student said in the interview that looking up for the meaning of the unknown words in the dictionary did not help Similarly, almost all of them (92.6%) stated that learning by heart was a good way of learning words while similar numbers believed that it was effective to learn words in use, e.g., through reading (88.5%) and listening (94.8%)
It is interesting to note that the students were not clear about whether translation was a good way of learning vocabulary or not More than one-third (40%) did not believe that translation was effective, 37.9% believed it was while 22.1% of them had no idea about this way of learning vocabulary
It seems that the students‟ beliefs about vocabulary influenced their vocabulary learning strategies For example, while 73.7% of the students stated that doing vocabulary exercises was helpful, as many as 93.7% of them reported that they remembered words by doing a lot of vocabulary exercises In the same vein, 92.6% reported that they memorized words by using them frequently in speaking and writing
Thus, the findings of this study gave more support to what other researchers (e.g
Abraham & Vann, 1987; Horwitz, 1987, 1988) had found about the influence of learner beliefs on their use of learning strategies
However, even though the students in this study overwhelmingly agreed that vocabulary learning involved a lot of memorization (Heidari, Izadi, & Ahmadian,
2011), they only used few cognitive memory strategies These strategies include using vocabulary notebooks, writing new words on anything around their house, doing vocabulary exercises, or using translation These strategies were re-stated by those who were interviewed Particularly, when asked about how they expected their teachers to teach vocabulary, they seemed to prefer translation This, again, supports Horwitz
(1987) that learners‟ beliefs restricted their choice of learning strategies
Summary of key findings
This study was an attempt to find out the beliefs about vocabulary learning held by a group of students in a specialized secondary school As revealed in the study that the students had positive beliefs about vocabulary learning in their learning of English
Almost every student in this study believed that vocabulary was at least as important as grammar in learning English as a foreign language The study also shows that students did not differ much regarding their use of vocabulary learning strategies and that their use of vocabulary learning strategies seemed strongly influenced by their beliefs about vocabulary learning Despite their reports of different strategies they used in learning vocabulary, those strategies were largely cognitive
Thus, the study suggests that teachers need to find out about the beliefs held by their students about different aspects of learning English as a foreign language By encouraging appropriate beliefs, teachers may enhance effective use of learning strategies in general and vocabulary learning in particular, further contribute to students‟ continuing motivation to learn a second language.
Implications for teaching
This study supports other studies that learners‟ beliefs have strong influence on their learning behaviors Thus, classroom teachers should try to foster sound beliefs that lead to effective learning strategy use and minimize negative beliefs that inhibit learning Teachers can remove students‟ misconceptions about vocabulary learning in particular and language learning in general by providing knowledge or illustrations concerning the nature and process of vocabulary acquisition (Heidari, Izadi, &
Teachers should try to understand their students‟ beliefs about vocabulary so that they can help them change their beliefs, if necessary Also, teachers‟ understanding of their students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning and second language learning can help them to make their methods of vocabulary teaching and second language teaching compatible with learners‟ beliefs which affect their use of learning strategies
As it is revealed in this study that most of the students reported that their vocabulary learning strategies were mainly cognitive, memory strategies, attention should be paid to the students‟ metacognitive beliefs.
Suggestions for future research
This study has some limitations First, the students who participated in this study were majoring in English in a specialized secondary school They, therefore, belong to a special group of students and cannot represent the whole secondary school students in ordinary secondary schools For this reasons, no generalization of the findings of this study is intended Second, the students who participated in this study were not randomly chosen They were chosen on the basis of their willingness to participate in the study Finally, although a mixed methods design was used in this study, the number of students chosen for the interview was small and the information gained from the interview was not deep enough because the interview was not long enough with very little probing by the interviewer due to the students‟ limited available time
Despite these limitations, the study was an eye-opener to the researcher herself
It was the first time that she had gained empirical information about her students‟ beliefs about vocabulary learning and how those beliefs affected their use of vocabulary learning strategies The study also helps other teachers to think about the importance of understanding their students‟ beliefs and the influence of those beliefs on their learning strategies
In the future, a survey using the same research design should be used with students from other ordinary secondary schools However, for the purpose of generalization, participants and schools need to be randomly selected so that they can represent well both the students and the schools throughout the country
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PHIẾU CÂU HỎI Các em học sinh thân mến,
Tôi đang nghiên cứu về quan niệm và phương pháp học từ vựng tiếng Anh của học sinh Rất mong có được những câu trả lời trung thực của các em Xin cám ơn Đánh dấu (X) vào ô thích hợp theo suy nghĩ của em Mỗi câu chỉ chọn MỘT ô
1 Học từ là một phần quan trọng của việc học tiếng Anh
Learning words is an important part of learning English
2 Học từ cần phải ghi nhớ nhiều thứ như chính tả, cách dùng, từ loại, v.v
Vocabulary learning includes learning the spelling, the use and part of speech of the word
3 Em nhớ từ bằng cách đọc đi đọc lại từ đó nhiều lần
I memorize new words by reading it again and again
4 Em thường cố gằng học thuộc lòng các từ đơn lẻ
I often try to learn by heart single words
5 Nghĩa của từ là cố định, không thay đổi bởi người sử dụng
The meaning of the word is fixed, not changed by the user
6 Em học từ bằng cách ghi lại các từ mới vào sổ từ vựng
I learn new words by writing new words in my vocabulary notebook
7 Em học từ mới bằng cách dịch nghĩa của những từ đó ra tiếng Việt
I learn new words by translating them into Vietnamese
8 Cần học từ mới bằng cách đoán nghĩa của từ đó trong văn cảnh
It is necessary to learn words by guessing their meaning in context
9 Từ vựng là phần quan trọng nhất trong học tiếng Anh
Vocabulary is the most important part in learning English
10 Em thường liên tưởng một từ mới với hình ảnh từ đó gợi lên trong đầu để nhớ từ đó Ví dụ, khi học từ
„orange‟ em liên tưởng hình ảnh quả cam trong đầu em
I connect the new word and an image or picture of the word in order to remember the word For example, I make a mental picture of ‘qua cam’ when learning the word ‘orange’
11 Em nhớ từ mới bằng cách nhóm các từ lại với nhau theo từng loại (ví dụ, từ đồng nghĩa, trái nghĩa, danh từ, động từ)
I memorize new words by grouping them into categories (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, noun, verb)
12 Em ôn tập từ bằng cách làm nhiều các bài tập từ vựng
I revise words by doing a lot of vocabulary exercises
13 Em nhứ từ bằng cách xếp các từ với nhau theo các chủ đề, chủ điểm
I memorize words by putting them into themes or topics
14 Thường xuyên đọc tiếng Anh là cách mở rộng vốn từ vựng nhanh nhất
The quickest way of expanding vocabulary is through reading English frequently
15 Nghe tiếng Anh thường xuyên là cách học từ có hiệu quả
Listening to English frequently is effective to learning vocabulary
16 Khi gặp từ mới cần tra từ điển và xác định nghĩa của từ đó trong từng văn cảnh cụ thể
When coming across a new word, it is necessary to look it up in the dictionary and to identify its meaning in a particular context
17 Vốn từ vựng không quan trọng bằng kiến thức ngữ pháp
Vocabulary is not as important as grammar
18 Để học giỏi tiếng Anh cần phải làm nhiều bài tập ngữ pháp
It is necessary to do as many grammar exercises as possible in order to study English well
19 Các bài tập từ vựng không giúp em học giỏi tiếng Anh
Vocabulary exercises do not help me learn English well
20 Em nhớ từ bằng cách sử dụng từ thường xuyên để nói và viết
I memorize words by using them frequently in speaking and writing
21 Học từ vựng qua tranh ảnh minh họa giúp nhớ từ tốt hơn
Learning words through pictures is more effective
22 Học thuộc những từ trong sách giáo khoa là đủ để sử dụng tốt tiếng Anh
Learning by heart words in the textbook is enough for using English well.