An investigation into non-English major students' vocabulary learning strategies at the central vocational college of transport number 1 = Nghiên cứu việc sử dụ

The Study Objectives The major purposes of this study are: - To find out if non-English major students at the Central Vocational College of Transportation Number 1 are aware of their vo

NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC TỪ VỰNG CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG NGHỀ GIAO THÔNG VẬN TẢI TRUNG ƯƠNG 1

M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY

CODE: 601410

HANOI, 2012

NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC TỪ VỰNG CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG NGHỀ GIAO THÔNG VẬN TẢI TRUNG ƯƠNG 1

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410

SUPERVISOR: DO THI THANH HA, M.A

HANOI, 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii

PART 1:INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 The Study Objectives 2

3.Research Questions 2

4.Scope of the Study 3

5 Method of the Study 3

6 Outline of the Study 3

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Introduction 5

1.2 Vocabulary and its Roles in Language Learning 5

1.3 Aspects of Vocabulary Knowledge 6

1.4 Vocabulary Learning Strategies 9

1.4.1 Language Learning Strategies 9

1.4.1.1 The Definitions of Learning Strategies 9

1.4.1.2 Classification of Language Learning Strategies 10

1.4.2 Vocabulary Learning Strategies 11

1.4.2.1 The Importance of Vocabulary Learning Sstrategies 11

1.4.2.2 Studies on Vocabulary Learning Strategies 12

1.4.3 Taxonomies of Vocabulary Learning Strategies 15

1.5 Summary 19

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 21

2.1 Research Questions 21

2.2 Participants and Setting of the Study 21

2.2.1 Participants 21

2.2.2 Setting of the Study 22

2.3 Data Collection Instruments 23

2.3.1 Test 23

2.3.2 Questionnaire 24

2.3.3 Interviews 25

2.4 Data Collection Procedure 25

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 27

3.1 Questionnaire 27

3.1.1 Students‟ Awareness of Using Strategies in Learning Vocabulary 27

3.1.2 Students‟ Use of DET Strategies in Vocabulary Learning 28

3.1.3 Students‟ Use of SOC Strategies in Vocabulary Learning 29

3.1.4 Students‟ Use of MEM Strategies in Vocabulary Learning 30

3.1.5 Students‟ Use of COG Strategies in Vocabulary Learning 31

3.1.6 Students‟ Use of MET Strategies in Vocabulary Learning 32

3.2 Interviews 34

3.2.1 Student Interviews 34

3.2.1.1 Students‟ Awareness in Learning Vocabulary ……… 34

3.2.1.2 Students‟ use of DET strategies in vocabulary learning 35

3.2.1.3 Students‟ use of SOC strategies in vocabulary learning 36

3.2.1.4 Students‟ use of MEM strategies in vocabulary learning 36

3.2.1.5 Students‟ use of COG strategies in vocabulary learning 37

3.2.1.6 Students‟ use of MET strategies in vocabulary learning 37

3.2.2 Teacher Interviews 37

3.3 Summary of the Main Findings and Discussion 40

3.3.1 Students‟ Awareness of Using Vocabulary Learning Strategies 40

3.3.2 Students‟ Vocabulary Learning Strategies 40

PART 3: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATION 43

1 Conclusions 43

2 Implications 44

3 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Study 46

REFERENCES 47 APPENDIX

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES List of Tables

Table 1: What is involved in knowing a word (Nation, 2001) 8

Table 2: Nation‟s taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies 17

Table 3: Participants‟ background 22

Table 4: Participants‟ levels of proficiency 22

Table 5: Vocabulary learning strategies in the questionnaire 25

List of Figures Figure 1: Students‟ awareness of using vocabulary learning strategies 27

Figure 2: Students‟ use of DET strategies in vocabulary learning 28

Figure 3: Students‟ use of SOC strategies in vocabulary learning 29

Figure 4: Students‟ use of MEM strategies in vocabulary learning 31

Figure 5: Students‟ use of COG strategies in vocabulary learning 32

Figure 6: Students‟ use of MET strategies in vocabulary learning 33

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

In language teaching, more emphasis was put on grammatical knowledge rather than lexical knowledge for a considerable time, with the view that vocabulary was merely to provide context for the learning of structures However, as a result of the development of communicative approaches to language teaching recently, the status of vocabulary learning process has been considerably enhanced (Nunan, 1991) Applied linguists believe that the development of a rich vocabulary is an important element in the acquisition of a second language Therefore, it is necessary that both teachers and learners find out effective ways to enrich learners‟ vocabulary

There is an old proverb which states: “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day Teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime” Applied to the language teaching and learning field, this proverb might be interpreted to mean that if students are provided with answers, the immediate problem is solved But if they are taught the strategies to work out the answers for themselves, they are empowered to manage their own learning This point of view has been reflected in the literature of the field In the last decades, there has been a gradual but significant shift within the field of language learning and teaching resulting in greater emphasis on language learners and learning process rather than language teachers and teaching As a result of this shift on learners and the important role that they can play in the process of learning new languages, a significant amount of research on language learning strategies has been done in the last few decades Several studies that have been carried out by Oxford (1990), O‟Malley and Chamot (1990), Nunan (1991), Rubin and Thompson (1994), and Cohen (1998) have shown that one of the most important factors that

distinguish successful learners from unsuccessful ones are their learning strategies

In Vietnam, language learning strategies in general, and vocabulary learning strategies in particular have received more and more attention Some studies into this field have been conducted with different types of learners to find out particular strategies employed by effective and ineffective learners However, of all the studies mentioned, there is none in which the participants are vocationally-trained students In Vietnam, there exists a situation that vocational students have high working skills but limited English competence Therefore, to help them have better job opportunities in the environment of globalization, it is necessary to increase their English ability through effective English teaching and learning activities

From all the facts mentioned above, I decided to carry out this study to find out how much awareness vocationally-trained students had of their learning process, and what vocabulary learning strategies they were employing My goal is that the information that this study provides would enable English teachers in vocational colleges to find out the best way to help students achieve or exceed the expectation

2 The Study Objectives

The major purposes of this study are:

- To find out if non-English major students at the Central Vocational College of Transportation Number 1 are aware of their vocabulary learning processes;

- To find out the vocabulary learning strategies employed by these students;

- To provide implications for the teaching and learning of the English vocabulary

3 Research Questions

The study would be conducted to answer the following questions:

Question 1: Are non-English major students at the Vocational College aware of using strategies in their vocabulary learning processes?

Question 2: What vocabulary learning strategies are commonly used by the students?

4 Scope of the Study

The study was designed to investigate vocabulary learning strategies which were employed by the students at the Central Vocation College of Transportation Number 1 The findings obtained from this study would hopefully be used to help improve the teaching and learning of the English vocabulary at the Central Vocation College of Transportation Number 1 in particular, and at other vocational schools in general

5 Methods of the Study

In order to achieve the objectives of the study mentioned above, the quantitative analysis is the main tool for analyzing the data, which was collected from the questionnaire

The results from the survey questionnaires were then combined with interviews and discussions with the teachers and students at the Central Vocation College of Transportation Number 1 to provide the final recommendations

6 Outline of the Study

The thesis is divided into three parts:

Part 1 – Introduction: This part includes the rationale, the objectives, the research questions, the scope, the methods, and the outline of the study

Part 2 Development: This part includes 3 chapters as follows:

 Chapter 1 reviews the basic concepts related to language learning strategies, vocabulary learning, as well as research on vocabulary learning strategies In

addition, learning strategy classifications are reviewed to set up the theoretical framework for the investigation in the next chapter

 In chapter 2, the questionnaire and interview study is presented It includes the setting of the study, the descriptions of the participants, the research questions, the research method, and data procedure collection

 Chapter 3 analyzes and discusses the data collected from the questionnaire and interviews It also includes the summary and discussion of the main findings Part 3 presents the conclusions of the study, implications and limitations of the study as well as suggestions for further research

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Introduction

This chapter reviews the theories related to learning strategies in general and vocabulary learning strategies in particular It also summarizes some studies on vocabulary learning strategies that have been conducted so far All of these serve

as a basis for an investigation into vocabulary learning strategies which is carried out and presented in the next chapter

1.2 Vocabulary and Its Roles in Language Learning

Vocabulary, according to Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary Sixth Edition (2000), is “all the words a person know or uses” To make it more specific, Lewis (1993:89) defined that vocabulary" may be individual words, or full sentences - institutionalized utterances - that convey fixed social or pragmatic meaning within a given community” From these definitions it can be said that vocabulary plays a very important role in foreign language learning, and the development of an effective command of second language vocabulary is an ongoing requirement for learning another language, throughout all levels of proficiency This is, according to Read (2001), because “words are the basic building blocks of language, the units of meaning from which larger structures such as sentences, paragraphs and whole texts are formed” By the following statement “without grammar, there are few things we can express; while without vocabulary, there is nothing we can express”, the British linguist Wilkins verified the importance of vocabulary in communication Insufficient vocabulary or vocabulary difficulties will result in communicational barriers or

failures Without vocabulary, no amount of grammatical or other types of linguistic knowledge can be employed in the second language communication or discourse In the very first part of his book on vocabulary, McCarthy (1990:2) wrote: "It is the experience of most language teachers that the single, biggest component of any language course is vocabulary No matter how well the students learn grammar, no matter how successfully sounds of second language are mastered, without words to express the wide range of meaning, communication in second language just cannot happen in any meaningful way" In Alexander‟s opinion, "comprehension improves when you know what the words mean" and "words are the currency of communication

A robust vocabulary improves all areas of communication - listening, speaking, reading and writing" These all show that the success of a student in becoming proficient in any language depends in part on the extent and richness of his/her vocabulary

In summary, due to the unchangeable role of vocabulary in the success of language learning, it is essential that vocabulary be a part of the syllabus and vocabulary teaching must be well-planned More important, learner‟s vocabulary learning is the main source for enriching their vocabulary Therefore, how to learn vocabulary effectively is the question that a teacher must answer to help his students

To do that, he must know how his students are learning vocabulary and if their strategies are effective

1.3 Aspects of Vocabulary Knowledge

Many people believe that knowing a word means knowing its meaning Cook (2001:61) states that “a word is more than its meaning.” For Cook, knowing a word may involve four aspects: form of the word (for instance spelling and pronunciation), grammatical properties (for example, grammatical category of a word, its possible and

impossible structure), lexical properties (for instance, word combinations and appropriateness), and general meaning and specific meaning

According to Schmitt (1998, cited in Hurd, S & Lewis, T, 2008), there is no single moment when we can say we “know” a word: gaining knowledge of vocabulary

in a lengthy, cumulative process depending on:

- Knowing the form of the word: its spelling, pronunciation, and its constituent parts

- Knowing its meaning: the basic concept it represents, its meaning in different contexts, its associations

- Knowing its use: its grammar, collocations, register and variations or restriction on use

Besides considering individual words, learners also need to pay attention to lexical “chunks”, multi-words units and collocations

Nation (2001) shared the same point of view in aspects of knowing a word However, he differentiates between receptive and productive aspects of second language vocabulary knowledge, saying that “receptive vocabulary use involves perceiving the form of a word while listening or reading and retrieving its meaning Productive vocabulary use involves wanting to express a meaning through speaking or writing and retrieving and producing the appropriate spoken or written word form” Details of the requirements for knowing a word receptively and productively are listed

in the table 1 below

Table 1: What is involved in knowing a word (Nation, 2001)

Form

Spoken R (*)

P

What does the word sound like?

How is the word pronounced?

Written R

P

What does the word look like?

How is the word written and spelled?

Word parts R

P

What parts are recognisable in this word?

What word parts are needed to express the meaning

Meaning

Form and meaning

R

P

What meaning does this word signal?

What word form can be used to express this meaning?

Concept and

referents

R

P

What is included in the concept?

What items can the concept refer to?

Association R

P

What other words does the word make us think of?

What other words could we use instead of this one?

In what patterns does the word occur?

In what patterns must we use this word?

Collocations R

P

What words or types of words occur with this one?

What words or types of words must we use with this one? Constraints

(*) Note: in column 3, R = receptive knowledge, P = productive knowledge

To sum up, knowing a word does not mean knowing what it refers to but also many other aspects such as form, meaning, and usage Therefore, to succeed in learning vocabulary, learners need to employs a wide range of learning strategies which are suitable for each process Depending on the strategies they use, teacher can assess whether they succeed in learning it or not

1.4 Vocabulary Learning Strategies

1.4.1 Language Learning Strategies

It is important that the discussion of language learning strategies precedes that of vocabulary learning strategies because the former will allow us to better understand the theoretical and empirical background of vocabulary learning strategies The strong relation between the general language learning strategies and the more specific vocabulary learning strategies lies in the fact that the majority of language learning strategies are in fact vocabulary learning strategies or can be used to learn second language vocabulary

1.4.1.1 Definitions of Learning Strategies

Most of us may agree with Oxford‟s statement (1990:1) that “strategies are especially important for language learning because they are tool for active, self-directed involvement, which is essential for communicative competence Appropriate language learning strategies result in improved proficiency and greater self-confidence” However, to say what learning strategies exactly are is not simple For decades, scholars have been trying to define them but there seems to be some variations in their definitions

Learning strategies, broadly defined by Rubin (1975, cited in Griffiths, 2004), are “the techniques or devices which a learner may use to acquire knowledge” Later, the definition of learning strategies was made clearer and more specific according to each scholar‟s perspectives For instance, O'Malley and Chamot (1990:1), when considering language learning strategies as both physical and mental actions, defined the concept of language learning strategies as “special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to comprehend, learn, or retain new information” Meanwhile, Oxford

(1990: 8) expanded the definition by stating that language learning strategies include

“specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations” By the definition, she implied that learners are generally aware of what techniques or approaches they have used to facilitate the process of language learning Cohen (1990:5) described language learning strategies as “learning processes which are consciously selected by learners” In addition, she maintained that “language learning and language use strategies can be defined as those processes which are consciously selected by learners and which may result in action taken to enhance the learning or use

of a second or foreign language, through the storage, retention, recall, and application

of information about that language.” (Cohen, 1998:4)

In short, despite their differences, some common features can be inferred from the above definitions Strategies play an important role in language learning as they promote and facilitate language learning In fact, they are techniques consciously used

by learners to cope with the complex process of learning Learning strategies are not always observable to the human eyes but can be trained to make learners aware of the existence of their own strategies and train them in practice

1.4.1.2 Classification of Language Learning Strategies

If there has not been common agreement in the definition of strategies, the same can be said of their categorization and classification It is the fact that different criteria are used to classify language learning strategies, causing inconsistencies and mismatches across existing taxonomies and other categorizations (Cohen, 1998) According to O‟Malley (1990) language learning strategies are divided into three categories: metacognitive, cognitive and social Oxford (1990) classified learning strategies into direct strategies (those which directly involve the target language

such as reviewing and practising) and indirect strategies (those which provide indirect support for language learning such as planning, co-operating and seeking opportunities) From these two groups, she divided them into six subgroups which are memory strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, affective strategies and social strategies These six categories are often named the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and used by Oxford and other researchers for a great deal of studies in the learning strategy field

The classification of language learning strategies is an important base for the classification of vocabulary learning strategies However, the inconsistent classification may cause difficulties in dividing vocabulary learning strategies into groups In the later part, the issue is going to be made clearer

1.4.2 Vocabulary Learning Strategies

1.4.2.1 The Importance of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

In the previous part, a number of definitions of language learning strategies have been reviewed One of which was by O'Malley and Chamot (1990:1), where learning strategies was defined as “the special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn or retain new information” This very broad definition is echoed by Schmitt in defining vocabulary learning strategies Schmitt (1997:203) stated that learning is “the process by which information is obtained, stored, retrieved and used therefore vocabulary learning strategies could be any which affect this broadly defined process”

The main benefit gained from all learning strategies, including strategies for vocabulary learning, is the fact that they enable learners to take more control of their own learning so that students can take more responsibility for their studies (Nation,

2001) Consequently, the strategies improve proficiency and foster self-confidence (Oxford, 1990) When equipped with a range of different vocabulary learning strategies, students can decide upon how exactly they would like to deal with unknown words Nation (2001) believed that a large amount of vocabulary could be acquired with the help of vocabulary learning strategies and that the strategies prove useful for students of different language proficiency levels

If vocabulary is considered one of the factors determining the success of communication and level of proficiency, then vocabulary learning strategies can be tools or means to achieve it Therefore, to assess learners‟ language learning and enable them to get improved, it is important to study how they start with the most basic element of language, vocabulary, through strategies they are employing

1.4.2.2 Studies on Vocabulary Learning Strategies

Due to their importance in the language learning, language learning strategies in general, vocabulary learning strategies in particular have attracted a lot of attention from scholars The great interest they created has been reflected by the number of the studies on this topic Among these are studies that have been carried out by such famous researchers as Oxford, O‟Malley and Chamot, Rubin, Gu and Johnson, Schmitt, Cohen, and so on Generally, the results of these studies revealed that many learners employ learning strategies in vocabulary learning more frequently than in other language learning activities Research has also shown that one of the most important factors that distinguishes successful learners from unsuccessful ones is their learning strategies In other words, successful learners do use some effective learning strategies to deal with problems that emerge during their learning process while unsuccessful ones employ inappropriate or ineffective strategies resulting in their below-expectation results This finding has provoked interests among

researchers and teachers in identifying learning strategies employed by good language learners with a view to train ineffective learners to use such effective learning strategies

There are two important questions, which studies on this topic try to find the answers: (i) which strategies are the most commonly used and (ii) which are likely to prove the most effective Lawson and Hogben‟s study (cited in Pavicic, 2008) reported that the most common approaches were repetition strategies but that, by and large, these were not especially successful; elaboration strategies were more likely to promote successful recall Ahmed (1989) (cited in Pavicic, 2008) found good learners tended to make effective use of both monolingual and bilingual dictionaries Meanwhile, Schmitt (1997) discovered that adult learners were more likely to employ meaning-based strategies than their younger counterparts (school children) who relied on memorisation and consolidated learning by focusing almost exclusively on word forms

With regard to the choice of strategies, the studies in this field indicated that it may be connected with the level of knowledge Beginners often employ mechanical strategies such as memorisation (Cohen & Aphek, 1981, cited in Pavicic, 2008) or repetition (O‟Malley et al., 1985a cited in Pavicic, 2008) because they cannot successfully use strategies requiring higher levels of the second language knowledge

On the other hand, some studies confirmed that complex strategies such as making associations result in more successful learning, i.e longer retention of vocabulary Such strategies can be used by more proficient learners of the target language It means that there exists a relationship between the use of vocabulary learning strategies and learners‟ proficiency level This relationship is supported in the study by Gu and Johns (1996), involving Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners In this research, they used a questionnaire, a vocabulary size test and a proficiency test to compare the frequency of vocabulary learning strategy usage with learners‟ beliefs

about vocabulary learning, level of development of learners‟ vocabulary and learning success The results showed that two metacognitive strategies (self-initiating and selective attention) and cognitive strategies such as guessing from context, using a dictionary for learning, note-taking, attending to word formation, contextual coding and deliberate activation of new words were important to the level of development of learners‟ vocabulary and learning success

In Vietnam, language learning strategies as well as vocabulary learning strategies have received more and more attention Some studies into this field have been conducted with different types of learners to find out particular vocabulary learning strategies employed by effective and ineffective learners such as Huyen‟s study (2001) for students majoring in English at Qui Nhon university, or Lien‟s study (2010) for non-English major freshers Both studies were conducted to find out the frequency use of different vocabulary learning strategies Questionnaire was the main research tool in these researches

Of all the studies mentioned, there are none in which the participants are vocationally-trained students Meanwhile in Vietnam, there exists a situation that vocational students have high working skills but limited English competence, which narrows their chances to find a job in an international environment Thus, to help them have better job opportunities in the environment of globalization, it is necessary to increase their English ability through effective English teaching and learning activities This reality has arisen a demand of carrying out a research of which subjects are vocationally-trained students As mentioned above, vocabulary plays an important role

in the success of the learning process; it is a good idea to find out how this group of learners learns the vocabulary From the information gathered, teachers can find the best ways to help them achieve their goals

1.4.3 Taxonomies of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

The classification of vocabulary learning strategies depending on such factors as aspects of knowing a word, the acquisition of the second language, and the vocabulary learning process Taking all into consideration, researchers have attempted to classify vocabulary learning strategies into different groups For instance, Stoffer (1995, cited

in Schmitt, 1997) put vocabulary learning strategies into nine categories with 53 individual strategies:

(1) Strategies involving authentic language use,

(2) Strategies involving creative activities,

(3) Strategies used for self-motivation,

(4) Strategies used to create mental linkages,

(5) Memory strategies ,

(6) Visual/auditory strategies,

(7) Strategies involving physical action,

(8) Strategies used to overcome anxiety and

(9) Strategies used to organize words

Gu and Johnson (1996) developed a classification of vocabulary learning strategies including beliefs about vocabulary learning, metacognitive regulation, guessing strategies, dictionary strategies, note-taking strategies, memory strategies based on rehearsal, memory strategies based on encoding, and activation strategies

Based on Oxford's (1990) taxonomy of language learning strategies, which grouped language learning strategies into social, memory, cognitive, and metacognitive categories (as discussed in part 1.4.1.2), Schmitt (1997) proposed a list of 58 individual vocabulary learning strategies First, the list is divided into two major

classes: (1) strategies that are useful for the initial discovery of a word‟s meaning, and (2) those useful for remembering that word once it has been introduced The reason for this classification, as explained by Schmitt, is: “this reflects the different processes necessary for working out a new word‟s meaning and usage, and for consolidating it in memory for future use” Second, the strategies are further classified into five following groups, four of which are the same with those from Oxford‟s taxonomy

1 Determination strategies (DET):Strategies learners use to discover the meaning of new words without recourse to another person‟s expertise This

group of strategies includes guessing from one‟s structural knowledge of a language, guessing from the first language cognate, guessing from context, or using reference materials

2 Social strategies (SOC): Learners use interaction with other people to improve

language learning Usually, learners ask teachers or classmates for information about a new word and they can give them the first language translation, definition, synonyms, antonyms, and so on These strategies can also be used for consolidating in such activities as group work or interaction with native speakers

3 Memory strategies (MEM) (traditionally known as mnemonics), involve

relating the word with some previously learned knowledge by using some form

of imagery or grouping A new word can be integrated into many kinds of existing knowledge (e.g., previous experiences or known words) or images can

be custom-made for retrieval (e.g., images of the word‟s form or meaning attributes) Grouping and the use of physical action are also useful for recalling

4 Cognitive strategies (COG) are somewhat similar to memory strategies but the

difference is that they are not focused so specifically on manipulative mental processing This group includes repetition and mechanical means of learning vocabulary such as word lists, flashcards, and vocabulary notebooks

5 Metacognitive strategies (MET) involving a conscious overview of the

learning process and making decision about planning, monitoring or evaluating

the best way to study The consciousness can be seen in learners‟ decision of

learning method, self test of vocabulary knowledge, choice of word to learn, and improvement of access to input

Nation (2001) proposed a taxonomy for vocabulary learning strategies including three classes corresponding to three aspects of second language vocabulary learning: (1) aspects of vocabulary knowledge, (2) sources of vocabulary knowledge, and (3) learning processes They are strategies for planning vocabulary learning, strategies for finding out information about words (sources), and strategies for establishing knowledge (processes) In each class, strategies are subdivided into different strategies

as in the following table:

Table 2: Nation’s taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies

General class of strategies Types of strategies

Planning: choosing what to

focus on and when to focus

on

 Choosing words

 Choosing the aspects of word knowledge

 Choosing the strategies

 Planning repetition Sources: finding

information about words

 Analyze the word

 Using word parts

 Learning from word cards

is followed by Metacognitive, Cognitive, Social and Determination categories Most vocabulary learning strategies can be applied to a wide range of vocabulary learning, and are useful at all levels or stages of vocabulary learning These vocabulary learning strategies are very important for language learners since they promote language learners to take control of their learning away from the teacher In other words, language learners with a variety of vocabulary learning strategies would make themselves more self-directed learners They would also make their vocabulary learning easier, faster, more enjoyable and more effective themselves

Of all the classifications suggested, the one by Schmitt has been used the most

as the source of reference in studies on vocabulary learning strategies The reason lies

in the fact that it was developed based on the study of approximately 600 learners of different groups of age, ranging from young learners to adults Therefore, it representatively reflects the strategies learners use in vocabulary learning Besides, these strategies help learners fulfill the requirements of knowing a word, and fit with processes of learning a word which are discovery and consolidation Most of these strategies can also be found in two classes in Nation‟s taxonomy, which are sources and processes However, in his classification, Nation added strategies relating to elements of vocabulary These strategies reflect learner‟s awareness of what and how they should learn In other words, they show learners‟ autonomy in learning the vocabulary Since vocabulary learning includes implicit and explicit learning, autonomy is an important factor to measure the efficiency of the vocabulary learning With the objectives of finding out learners‟ use of strategies in vocabulary learning, Schmitt (1997) and Nation (2001) taxonomies have been used as the reference sources for the current study

1.5 Summary

Related theories on language learning strategies in general and vocabulary learning strategies in particular have been presented in this chapter Some of the main points can be summarized as follows Concerning the definition of learning strategies, there have been different points of views by different scholars Some scholars see learning strategies as behaviors while others view them as thoughts and behaviors However, it is generally agreed that language learning strategies play

an important role in second language learning and these can be trained to help learners achieve higher results

In terms of vocabulary learning strategies, chapter 1 has presented the role of vocabulary in language learning, and some important aspects in vocabulary learning

according to famous scholars‟ point of views It has also discussed taxonomies of vocabulary learning strategies, especially those introduced by Schmitt and Nation, based on which a questionnaire has been designed to collect information for the current study

The next chapter is the study on vocabulary learning strategies used by the students at Central Vocational College of Transportation Number 1, which is conducted in light of the theories discussed above

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Research Questions

The study was conducted to answer the following questions:

Question 1: Are non-English major students at the Vocational College aware of

using strategies in learning vocabulary?

Question 2: What vocabulary learning strategies are commonly used by the

no foreign language course has ever been offered or finished high school a long time ago, have never learnt English before The table below summarizes background information about the participants

Table 3: Participants’ Background

Number of

participants

learning English Male Female 18-22 23-25 26-30 0 1-3 4-7 >7

Participants‟ levels of proficiency were assessed through a test Table 4 shows the test results taken by the participants It can be seen from the table that only one student get a grade above 6.5 in a regular grade scale of 0 to 10 The number of participants achieving average grade accounts for only 22.8%, a small percentage in comparison with that of students getting below-average grade (71.4%) One student even got a grade below 2 These figures indicate that although most students have learnt English for more than 4 years, their level of proficiency is rather low

Table 4: Participants’ levels of proficiency

2.2.2 Setting of the Study

At the Vocational College, English is a class consisting of 120 periods required for all students attending college-level programmes This class must be completed in the first year of the training programmes The course book that has been used is Streamline English - Departures by Bernard Nartley and Peter Viney As a result, the main focus is put on vocabulary and grammar Meanwhile, according to the requirements set by Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), vocationally trained students are expected to be able to achieve a minimum of 245

points in a TOEIC test (Test of English for International Communication), which is corresponding to A2-elementary level in CEFR scale (Common European Framework

of Reference for languages) The Ministry has also planned to prepare a new course book which can meet all these requirements However, at the time this study was conducted the course book was still Streamline In that condition, the study focused on testing students‟ proficiency level through a vocabulary test When this study was conducted, participants all finished their first year classes, including the English class

2.3 Data Collection Instruments

2.3.1 Test

A test was used as an instrument to collect information about participants‟ proficiency levels Proficiency level test is often used to access four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), vocabulary, and grammar knowledge However, a vocabulary test was used within this study because of the following reasons First, as explained in the previous chapter, vocabulary is "the currency of communication A robust vocabulary improves all areas of communication - listening, speaking, reading and writing" Therefore, vocabulary testing, though not completely reflecting students‟ proficiency level, can grade them relatively Second, since the main focus of the coursebook used by the participants is on vocabulary and grammar, a vocabulary test to gauge the learners‟ proficiency level is reasonable It should be noted that vocabulary is the foundation, but not the deciding factor for developing other language skills To be proficient, learners have to use many other strategies to develop other skills Therefore this study is limited to vocabulary test and vocabulary learning strategies only

The test used in this study was taken from “English vocabulary in use - Elementary” book by Michael McCarthy and Felicity O‟Dell-Cambridge University Press 2008, and is considered to be a good test The test includes 50 multi-choice questions so the results are concise and objective

2.3.2 Questionnaire

In order to collect data for the study, survey questionnaire was chosen The questionnaire was designed to measure the frequency use of vocabulary learning strategies The strategies were based on the study done by Schmitt (1997) and Nation (2001) as explained in the literature review Some of the items in Schmitt‟s list, which were not suitable for this study‟s participants, were not included in the questionnaire For example, interacting with native speakers is an impractical strategy because the college is located in the countryside, where native speakers were hardly spotted; or loci

or peg methods are not familiar with the students In addition, there were strategies which can only be employed by proficient learners such as analyzing part of speech, suffixes or roots, group words together within a story line, or paraphrase word‟s meaning

The questionnaire consisted of two sections: the first section was to gather participants‟ demographic information and the second section focused on the strategies that the participants may have used It contained 23 items, which were divided into five categories: Determination, Social, Memory, Cognitive and Metacognitive according to Schmitt (1997) classification and planning strategies as in Nation (2001) classification The participants were asked to rate each strategy statement on a 5-point interval Likert scale in terms of their frequency of use in ascending order ranging from 1 (“never”) to

5 (“always”) A detail table of vocabulary learning strategies in the questionnaire is provided below:

Table 5: Vocabulary learning strategies in the questionnaire

Group of strategies Questions in the questionnaire Number of questions

One of the disadvantages of using questionnaire is that the responses might not

be highly reliable as students might over-estimated or under-estimated the usage frequency certain strategies They might also confuse among the strategies‟ specific names and even more importantly, how they were using it Therefore, individual interviews in Vietnamese with 4 arbitrarily selected students were used to supplement the data collected from the survey questionnaires The questionnaire was used as the to get specific information in the interview

Finally, teacher interviews were carried out to help understand their students‟ learning strategies and support the conclusions drawn from the questionnaire

2.4 Data Collection Procedure

Participants of the study were asked to assemble in a classroom The researcher told them how to complete the questionnaire and emphasized that they should chose the answers which really reflected their learning The questionnaire was written in Vietnamese (Appendix 3) to make sure that all participants understood and completed

all the questions For the presentation of this thesis, the questionnaire has been translated into English and presented in Appendix 2 It took about 20 minutes for the students to complete the questionnaire After that, the test (Appendix 5) was administered, which lasted for 25 minutes

Four students (labeled as S1, S2, S3, and S4 in this study) were selected to be interviewed in recorded conversations Students were asked to describe their vocabulary learning to see if their answers in the questionnaire were matching with the interview sessions The teachers were interviewed following to a list of questions, which is presented in Appendix 4

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

All collected data from the questionnaire and interviews were analyzed and discussed in this chapter to find out the answers to the research questions The questions in the questionnaire were analyzed one by one in each vocabulary learning strategy, and plotted in Figures 1 through 6 In these figures, the question numbers (e.g Q1 or Q2) are presented in the horizontal axis The vertical axis represent the percentage of the students responded in the survey

3.1 Questionnaire

3.1.1 Students’ Awareness of Using Strategies in Vocabulary Learning

Figure 1: Students' awareness of using vocabulary learning strategies

The questionnaire includes two questions for investigating students‟ awareness

of using strategies in vocabulary learning: (1) choosing word to learn, and (2) choosing suitable strategies The answers show that students were not very aware of using strategies in vocabulary learning As can be seen from the chart, more than fifty percent of the students were not conscious of what vocabulary they should learn and how to learn new words effectively These answers are also supported by the interview