Output file i VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES PHẠM THỊ PHƢƠNG LIÊN AN EXAMINATION OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STR[.]
i VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES - PHẠM THỊ PHƢƠNG LIÊN AN EXAMINATION OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS IN USSH – VNUH (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CHIẾN LƢỢC HỌC TỪ VỰNG CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KHXHNV – ĐHQGHN) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: Code: English Teaching Methodology 601410 Hanoi, 2010 z ii VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES - PHẠM THỊ PHƢƠNG LIÊN AN EXAMINATION OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS IN USSH – VNUH (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CHIẾN LƢỢC HỌC TỪ VỰNG CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KHXHNV – ĐHQGHN) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Dr Dƣơng Thị Nụ Hanoi, 2010 z vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE‟S STATEMENT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LISTS OF TABLES, FIGURES AND ABBREVIATIONS viii PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the Study Research questions Scope of the Study Method of the Study Structure of the thesis PART 2: DEVELOPMENT …….…………………………………………………………….5 CHAPTER – LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Learning strategies 1.2.1 Definitions 1.2.2 The importance of learning strategies 1.3 Vocabulary z vii 1.3.1 Vocabulary learning 1.3.2 Factors affecting learners in learning English vocabulary 10 1.4 Vocabulary learning strategies 11 1.4.1 Classification of vocabulary learning strategies 11 1.4.2 Classification of Schmitt‟s vocabulary learning strategies…………… ………….15 1.4.3 An overview of vocabulary learning strategies researches .16 1.5 Summary……………………………………………………………………………….18 CHAPTER – METHODOLOGY 19 2.1 The context of the Study .19 2.2 Research questions 19 2.3 Research method 19 2.3.1 Participants 19 2.3.2 Instrument for data collection .20 2.3.3 Data collection procedures 21 2.3.4 Data analysis procedures .22 CHAPTER – FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 23 PART 3: CONCLUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 36 Summaries of the main findings .36 Limitation and suggestions for further research 37 2.1 Limitation 37 z viii 2.2 Suggestion for further studies 38 REFERENCES 39 APPENDIX 41 LISTS OF TABLES, FIGURES AND ABBREVIATIONS List of tables Table 1: Nation‟s (2001) taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies……………………………… 12 Table 2: Schmitt‟s taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies 13 Table 3: Overall mean score of vocabulary learning strategies used by the students .28 Table 4: Mean scores of each vocabulary learning strategy used by students 31 List of figures Figure 1: Students‟ use of DET strategies in vocabulary learning 23 Figure 2: Students‟ use of SOC strategies in vocabulary learning 24 Figure 3: Students‟ use of MEM strategies in vocabulary learning 25 Figure 4: Students‟ use of COG strategies in vocabulary learning 26 Figure 5: Student‟s use of MET strategies in vocabulary learning……………………………………27 List of abbreviations VLS: Vocabulary Learning Strategies USSH: University of Social Sciences and Humanities L1: first language L2: second language z ix PART 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale Human beings are limited in their capacity to process information The knowledge and skills requires would in fact quickly overwhelm the capacity of any learner to deal with them, if a number of strategies were not brought into action Thus the need to cope with language generates the motivation and rationale for learning strategies These strategies can be defined as methods employed by the person for the processing of input language information so as to gain control of it, thus enabling the assimilation of that information by the self By using learning strategies, learners are able to manage their own learning as a whole process (e.g having relevant knowledge about learning, making plans, utilizing communicative situations, self-monitoring and evaluating) These strategies will ultimately be employed with a degree of control and self-awareness which is in keeping with the learners‟ individual cognitive style and general personality Better learning strategies would enable learners to go on improving their English on their own in the long, complex process of language learning In Vietnam, language learning strategies have recently been paid much attention by both teachers and learners In order to improve English skills, learners make significant changes in terms of using learning strategies in studying and practicing English, especially in their vocabulary learning “Acquisition depends crucially on the input being comprehensible And comprehensibility is dependent directly on the ability to recognize the meaning of key elements in the utterance Thus, acquisition will not take place without comprehension of vocabulary.” Krashen and Terrell (1983 as cited by Youngkyu Kim, 2006) Obviously vocabulary learning plays an important part in language acquisition Inadequate vocabulary could lead to learners‟ difficulties in language reception and z x production Thus learners have to use vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) in order to broaden their vocabulary in an effective way A large number of researches have been carried out so as to show out an overview of VLS in ELT For instance Coady (1993) pointed out that the vast majority of words in L1 come from extensive and multiple exposures through use rather than direct instruction, and therefore, vocabulary learning in a second language should follow the same route Boyle (1987) found that, despite a female superiority in general proficiency, male students outperformed their female counterparts in listening vocabulary Oxford, Lavine, Hollaway, Felkins, and Saleh (1996), on the other hand, discovered that females were significantly more willing than males to try out new vocabulary learning strategies, a finding that has been corroborated in a few other studies (Gu, 2002; Young & Oxford, 1997) and etc As an English teacher at University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH), I believe that it is essential to explore current situation of students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies in this university However, up to now, there have not been any researches on vocabulary learning strategies of first-year students General English knowledge at first- year course aims to establish background knowledge for students At third year, students at some faculties have to study English for specific purposes in which they mainly learn specialized vocabulary Therefore, the researcher‟s ambition in this paper is offering an insightful understanding of the current vocabulary learning situation among the first-year students With a better understanding, we can find ways to help students to become more autonomous learners with, for example, vocabulary language learning strategy training Aims of the Study It was hoped that this study could get us closer to a comprehensive understanding of vocabulary learning strategies of freshmen in USSH and provide some implications for both the learning and teaching of English as a foreign language contexts z xi Research questions The study will be conducted to answer the following questions: - What are the most and the least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies by freshmen in USSH? - What are the differences in the use of vocabulary learning strategies among these students in different faculties? Scope of the Study This paper reports on the learning of English vocabulary by elementary college students (N = 421) on a first year course in USSH – VNUH Comparison is also made to find out the differences of vocabulary learning strategies between students in different faculties Method of the Study In order to achieve the aims mentioned above, the study was designed to use a questionnaire as the way of data collection After collecting, analyzing and discussing data, some conclusion will be drawn Furthermore, English teachers at the USSH will be interviewed about the strategies their students use in learning vocabulary to support information for the conclusion Structure of the thesis This thesis consists of three parts, namely Introduction, Development and Conclusions and Recommendations Part 1, the Introduction, presents the rationale, the aims, the scope and the method of the study Part is the Development which includes three chapters as follows: z xii Chapter (Literature review) introduces the theoretical foundations for the whole paper Besides providing the definition of key terms such as learning strategies, vocabulary learning strategies, it offers a critical review of studies related to the research problem Chapter (Methodology) elaborates on the participants, the instruments, the procedure of collecting data and the procedure of processing data from the questionnaire and interviews Chapter (Findings and Discussion) presents and analyses all the collected data to find out the answers to the two research questions Part 3, the Conclusions and Recommendations summarizes all the major points raised in the paper and presents the author‟s suggestions on the vocabulary learning and teaching for firstyear students in USSH_VNUH based on the research findings and the related literature z xiii PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER – LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the literature related to this study, laying the foundations for the subsequent development of the paper Beside some basic concepts like vocabulary level, language learning strategies, vocabulary learning strategies and critical background information about these key terms are presented to ensure a thorough understanding of the research matters Learning strategies and learning strategy classification systems are also reviewed to set up the theoretical framework for the examination in the next chapter This review will reveal the research gap, thus rationalizing the need to carry out the study 1.2 Learning strategies 1.2.1 Definitions Learning nowadays can be defined as the process by which the external and unfamiliar becomes internal, familiar and usable Learning is more accurately depicted as an active process and that to learn, the learners will employ a number of specific means The word “strategy” refers to those means However, there is no agreement regarding the definition of the term “language learning strategies” Learning strategies are defined by O'Malley and Chamot (1990) as "special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to comprehend, learn, or retain new information" (p.1) According to Bialystock (1985) “learning strategies reflect the ordinary processes of learning that occur whether or not the learner is attending to and deliberately manipulating them Thus, learning strategies are not different from learning processes…” Learning strategies, defined by Weinstein and Mayer (1986) (in O‟Malley and Chamot 1990) have learning facilitation as a goal and are intentional on the part of the learner The z ... of DET strategies in vocabulary learning 23 Figure 2: Students? ?? use of SOC strategies in vocabulary learning 24 Figure 3: Students? ?? use of MEM strategies in vocabulary learning ... HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES - PHẠM THỊ PHƢƠNG LIÊN AN EXAMINATION OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS. .. significant changes in terms of using learning strategies in studying and practicing English, especially in their vocabulary learning “Acquisition depends crucially on the input being comprehensible And