An investigationinto vobulary learning strategiesemployed by students at song cong high school, thai nguyen m a thesis linguistics 60 140 111

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ************************** NGUYỄN MINH THỦY AN INVESTIGATION INTO VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY STUDENTS AT SONG CONG HIGH SCHOOL, THAI NGUYEN Nghiên cứu chiến lƣợc học từ vựng học sinh trƣờng trung học phổ thông Sông Công, Thái Nguyên M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 HANOI, 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ************************** NGUYỄN MINH THỦY AN INVESTIGATION INTO VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY STUDENTS AT SONG CONG HIGH SCHOOL, THAI NGUYEN Nghiên cứu chiến lƣợc học từ vựng học sinh trƣờng trung học phổ thông Sông Công, Thái Nguyên M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: DƢƠNG ĐỨC MINH, PhD HANOI, 2014 DECLARATION ***** I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “An investigation into vocabulary learning strategies employed by students at Song Cong High School, Thai Nguyen" is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies, Hanoi National University and that this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or tertiary institution Ha Noi, 2014 Student‟s Signature Nguyen Minh Thuy i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First I would like to express my sincere and deep gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Duong Duc Minh, who has given me great help with this thesis Without his experienced guidance, valuable suggestions and dutiful supervision, my research would be far from completed I would also like to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to Dr Le Hung Tien and the staff members of the Post Graduate Department and the lecturers at College of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University-Hanoi for their valuable lectures, which laid the foundation of this thesis and for their knowledge as well as their sympathy I would like to express my appreciation my friends who have been continuously giving me a lot of support and encouragement for the fulfillment of this challenging work I am also grateful to Ms Le Thu Ha, the librarian at the Resource Centre, who is willing to lend me a lot of interesting books and valuable materials for my thesis I take this opportunity to thank all students and teachers at Song Cong High School for their valuable help and co-operation during the time I collected the data Last but not least, I would like to express my thank to my beloved parents, my husband, my daughters, my brothers and my sisters who continually gave me a lot of support and encouragement for the fulfillment of this challenging work Hanoi, 2014 ii ABSTRACT This study aims to carry out an investigation on how Song Cong High School (SCHS) students in Thai Nguyen City, Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam learn English vocabulary The purposes of this study were as follows: to find out the SCHS students‟ perceptions of English vocabulary learning, to explore the SCHS students‟ strategies used in learning English vocabulary to find out the most and least commonly vocabulary learning strategies employed by the SCHS students in learning English vocabulary, to examine the relationship between students‟ vocabulary learning strategies and their level of study and to provide implications for the teaching and learning of the English vocabulary A sample of 60 participants was drawn from SCHS The questionnaire was both quantitatively used to analyze the collected data The questionnaire was used to elicit the SCHS students‟ perception of vocabulary learning Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to measure the frequency use of certain vocabulary learning strategies The results from the questionnaire indicated that not many students were aware of their vocabulary learning process and conscious of the strategies being used to achieve better results Using English-Vietnamese dictionary, asking teachers or friends to translate new English words into Vietnamese, remembering parts of the speech, using new words in sentences, verbal repetition and written repetition are among the strategies frequently used by these participants It can be seen that the most frequently used strategies are basic and popular ones which brings about few changes in the results iii LIST OF TABLES Table 24 Table 26 Table 26 Table 27 Table 28 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS L1/ L2 : First/ Second Language LLS : Language Learning Strategies VLS : Vocabulary Learning Strategies SCHS : Song Cong High School VOLSI : Vocabulary Learning Strategies Inventory SILL : Stratery Inventory for Language Learning v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Factors Influencing English Language Learning The Study Objectives 4 Research Questions Scope of the Study Methods of the Study Significance of the Study Outline of the Study Summary PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Language Learning Strategies 1.1 The Definitions of Learning, Strategies and Language Learning Strategies 10 1.1.1 Learning 1.1.2 Strategies 1.1.3 Language Learning Strategies 1.2 Overview of Language Learning Strategies 1.3 Classifications of Language Learning Strategies 10 1.3.1 Oxford‟s Language Learning Strategies Classification 11 1.3.2 Cohen‟s Language Learning Strategies Classification 12 1.3.3 O‟Malley and Chamot‟s Language Learning Strategies Classification 12 i Vocabulary Learning Strategies 13 2.1 The Definitions of Vocabulary Learning Strategies 13 2.2 The Classifications of Vocabulary Learning Strategies .13 2.3 The Importance of Vocabulary Learning Strategies 17 2.4 Studies on Vocabulary Learning Strategies .17 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 20 2.1 Research questions 20 2.2 Participants of the study 20 2.3 Setting of the Study 20 2.4 Research Instruments 21 2.5 Data Collection 23 2.5.1 Procedure for the Questionnaire 23 2.5.2 Data analysis 23 2.6 Summary 23 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS 24 3.1.An Analysis of the Questionnaire on the Song Cong High School Students‟ Vocabulary Learning Strategies 24 3.1.1.The Song Cong High School Students‟ Perceptions of English Vocabulary Learning 24 3.1.2 Vocabulary Learning Strategies used by 60 Song Cong High School Students 25 3.1.3 Vocabulary Learning Strategies Uses of the Song Cong High School Students 26 3.1.4 The SCHS Student‟s Self-Reports to the Four Categories of Vocabulary Learning Strategies 26 3.1.5 Variation in Students‟ Individual Language Learning Strategy Use According to Students‟ Grades 28 3.2 Results 33 3.2.1 Answer to Research Question 1: What are the SCHS students‟ perceptions of using strategies in their vocabulary learning processes? 33 ii 3.2.2 Answer to Research Question 2: What strategies are most and least commonly employed by the SCHS students in English vocabulary learning? 33 3.2.3 Answer to Research Question 3: What is the relationship between students‟ reported vocabulary learning strategies use and their level of study? 33 3.3.Summary 34 PART C: CONCLUSION 35 Conclusion 35 Pedagogical Implications 35 Limitations of the Study 37 Recommendations for Further Studies 38 REFERENCES 39 APPENDIX I APPENDIX V iii 40 29 Tarone, E (1980), Communication strategies, foreigner talk, and repair in interlanguage, Language Learning, 30(2), pp 417-429 30 Rubin, J and Thompson, I (1994), How to be a more successful language nd learner: Toward Learner Autonomy (2 Publishers edition), Boston: Heinle and Heinle 31 Rubin, J (1987), Learner strategies: Theoretical assumptions, research history and typology, In A Weden & J Rubin (Eds.), Learner strategies in language learning (pp 15-30), Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall 32 Rubin, J (1975) What the "good language learner" can teach us TESOL Quarterly 9, pp.41-51 33 Rubin, J (1987) Learning strategies: Theoretical assumptions, research history and typology In A Wenden & J Rubin (Eds.) Learner Strategies and Language Learning (pp 15-29) Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall 34 Schmitt, N., & McCarthy, M (1997) Vocabulary Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 35 Schmitt, N.(2000) Vocabulary in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge university press 36 Stoffer, L.(1995) University Foreign Language Students' Choice of Vocabulary Learning Strategies as Related to Individual Difference Variables Unpublished Unpublished PhD Dissertation University of Alabama 37 Wenden, A L (1982), Learner strategies, TESOL Newsletter, 19(5),pp.17 38 Weinstein, C., & Mayer, R (1986), The teaching of learning strategies, In M.C 39 Wilkinson, D., & Birmingham, P (2003) Using Research Instruments: A Guide for Researchers London: RoutledgeFalmer 40 Wilkins, D (1972:p.111), Linguistics in language teaching, London: Edward Arnold 41 APPENDIX The SCHS Students’ English VLS Questionnaire Part 1: The Student’s Background Information Directions: Please provide the information about yourself by choosing the choices given (V ) or write the response where necessary Your name: Your gender: Part 2: The Student’s Perceptions Questionnaire Directions: This questionnaire is designed to gather information about your opinions on vocabulary learning and vocabulary learning strategies Please read each statement carefully and click ( V ) the response which describes your opinions: Student‟s Perceptions of Vocabulary learning = strongly agree = agree = undecided = disagree = strongly disagree = always appropriate to my situations = often appropriate to my situations = sometimes appropriate to my situations = seldom appropriate to my situations = not appropriate to my situations I No Stude 1have been Once the English equivalents of all Vietnamese words remembered, English is learned 2lists orThe best way to remember words is to memorize word dictionaries Remembering the meanings of a word is an end in itself 4languageAwell good memory is all you need to learn a foreign Repetition is the best way to remember words 6individual You can only acquire a large vocabulary by memory of words 7can be picked The meanings of a considerable amount of words up through reading One can expand his vocabulary simply through reading a lot 9vocabulary Guessing words in context is one of the best ways to learn 10 When you come across a word several times in different context, you will know what it means 11 I can arrange when and how many words I will memorize 12 I arrange a short-term goal and a long-term goal for memorizing new words 13 I check my progress on word study regularly 14 I often self-evaluation for my words study so as to improve memorizing methods/strategies 15 I know when a new word or phrase is essential for adequate comprehension of a passage 16 I know which words are important for me to learn 17 I know what cues I should use in guessing the meaning of a particular word 18 Besides textbooks, I look for other readings that fall under my interest 19 I wouldn‟t learn what my English teacher doesn‟t tell us to learn (Reversed value) II 20 I wouldn‟t care much about vocabulary items that my teacher does not explain in class (Reversed value) 21 I make use of the logical development in the context (e.g., cause and effect) when guessing the meaning of a word 22 I make use of my knowledge of the topic when guessing the meaning of a word 23 I make use of the grammatical structure of a sentence when guessing the meaning of a new word 24 I look for any examples provided in the context when guessing the meaning of a new word 25 I make use of the part of speech of a new word when guessing its meaning 26 When I see an unfamiliar word again and again, I look it up 27 When I want to confirm my guess about a word, I look it up 28 When I don‟t know the usage of a word I already have some knowledge of, I look it up I go through my vocabulary list several times until I am sure 29 that I don‟t have any words on that list that I still don‟t understand 30 I memorize the spelling of a word letter by letter 31 I act out a word in order to remember it better 32 I remember the new word together with the context where the new word occurs 33 I try to use the newly learned words as much as possible in speech and writing 34 I try to use newly learned words in real situations 35 I try to use the newly learned words in imaginary situations in my mind 36 I make a note when I see a useful expression or phrase 37 I make / buy vocabulary cards and take them with me whenever I go 38 When I try to remember a word, I repeat it aloud to myself 39 When I try to remember a word, I repeat its pronunciation in my mind III 40 41 42 43 44 45 I often make discussion on how others When encountering new words for help I can quieten myself dow I encourage myself when I mak learning I can actively communica I often take part in English cor learned words 46 I feel frustrated when encounte 47 48 When memorizing a new word Vietnamese meaning first When memorizing a new word by both Vietnamese and Engli When speaking, I arrange the m 49 Vietnamese, and than transla English When writing a composition, I 50 will express in Vietnamese, an Vietnamese to English IV APPENDIX Bảng câu hỏi chiến lƣợc học từ vựng học sinh trƣờng THPT Sông Công Phần I: Thông tin học sinh Xin bạn vui lịng cho biết thơng tin cá nhân cách trả lời câu hỏi sau Giới tính: Nam/Nữ Tuổi: …………… Phần 2: Các câu hỏi chiến lƣợc học từ vựng học sinh Phiếu điều tra dùng nhằm tìm hiểu phương pháp bạn học từ vựng Vui lòng đánh dấu vào ô tương ứng với lựa chọn bạn Mong bạn lựa chọn phương pháp mà bạn thực sử dụng phương pháp mà bạn nghĩ người học ngoại ngữ nên dùng Nhận thức học sinh việc học từ vựng = hoàn toàn đồng ý = đồng ý = chưa định = không đồng ý = hồn tồn khơng đồng ý = ln ln phù hợp với tình tơi = thường xun phù hợp với tình tơi = phù hợp với tình tơi = phù hợp với tình tơi = khơng phù hợp với tình tơi V 1tiếng Việt Học sinh học từ vựng tiếng Anh thông qua nhớ nghĩa 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nói, tơi xếp ý tiếng Việt, sang tiếng Anh Khi viết luận, xếp ý bằ sau dịch sang tiếng Anh IX ... that some sub-category of learning strategies rank comparatively high It can be seen that cognitive strategies (M= 3.07), translation strategies (M= 3.02) Social/Affective strategies (M= 2.7), and... 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... is valued as 1, “seldom appropriate to my situations” valued as 2, “sometimes appropriate to my situations” valued as 3, “often appropriate to my situations” valued as 4, and “always appropriate