the use of english vocabulary learning strategies

Conference proceedings

THE USE OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES AMONG VIETNAMESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Dr. Thao Quoc Tran Cl), Gi-Thao Nguyen Tran (2) OJFaculty of English Language Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Vietnam Email: [email protected] (2JTran Phu High School, Da Lat City, Vietnam Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Vocabulary plays a pivotal role in ESL/EFL learners' English language learning, so successful ESL/EFL learners may employ a spectrum of vocabulary learning strategies so as to master vocabulary. Nevertheless, the uses of vocabulary learning strategies may vary from one context to another. This study, therefore, aimed at exploring the vocabulary learning strategies employed by 10th graders at a high school in Vietnam. Eighty students were involved in answering a closed-ended questionnaire. The findings of the study revealed that 10th grade students have poor awareness of the role of vocabulary learning strategies in English language learning and. they sometimes applied vocabulary learning strategies into their study. It was further discovered from the study that students had the tendency of using some strategies more frequently than others such as guessing the meaning of the word through object or picture, remembering the word in its context, watching movies with English subtitles, or asking friends for the meaning of a word. Also, the finding showed that gender did not affect the students' uses of vocabulary learning strategies. Keywords: ESL/EFL; high school students; Vietnam; vocabulary learning strategies.

1. Introduction Language learning strategies are methods that ESL/EFL learners use to enhance their target language. In second or foreign language learning, some learners have specific technique in learning which makes them more successful than others. Therefore, this phenomenon has been an interesting topic for researchers to explore in the area of the second and foreign language vocabulary acquisition. Researchers have been interested in exploring the behaviors, skills and strategies of successful learners· since 1970s (e.g. Chamot & El-Dinary, 1999; Cohen, 2003; Naiman, Rubin, 1975, 1981; Stern, 1975). MacIntyre (1994) mentioned language learning strategy research as "one of the most fertile areas of research in language learning in recent years" (p. 185). In terms of language learning strategies, vocabulary learning strategies place an integral part. Moreover, not many people in the world can deny the fact that students with a rich vocabulary tend to study better at school: They will understand what a textbook or a teacher is saying, and they will want to learn more. Of course, understanding and knowledge of people with similar vocabulary sizes may be different, but the vocabulary size of a person is still considered to be a good predictor of general proficiency (Duncan et al., 2007; Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2013). Thus, learners need vocabulary in their learning second or foreign language, which has· encouraged - 223


them to find out and use different s.trategies to acquire new words effectively. Since 1995, some researches about vocabulary learning strategies have been conducted such as Catalan (2003), Fan (2003), Gu (2002), Gu and Johnson (1996), Goundar (2015), Kudo (1999), Kojic-Sabo and Lightbown (1999), Lawson and Hogben (1996), Lin (2001), Moir (1996), Porte (1988), Sanaoui (1995), Schmitt (1997), Stoffer (1995). These researches have showed intuitions of the methods of vocabulary learning strategies which have been used by learners. With the aforementioned rationale, this study aims at investigating the use of English Vocabulary Learning Strategies among Tran Phu High School 10th graders in Lam Dong. For this purpose, the following research questions need to be addressed: 1. What are the perceptions of the role of vocabulary in English language learning held by Tran Phu High School 10th graders? 2. What English Vocabulary Learning Strategies do they use? 3. Are there any significant differences in the use of English Vocabulary Learning Strategies in terms of gender? If yes, how? 2. Literature review Vocabulary learning strategies have been considered as techniques that help memorize the words (Gu and Johnson, 1996). In the field of English language learning, vocabulary learning strategy plays an important part. Vocabulary has attracted interest from many researchers in recent years as "vocabulary learning is central to language acquisition, whether the language is first, second or foreign" (Decarrico, 2001, p. 285). Researchers such as Nation (2001), Read (2000), Gu (2003), Laufer and Nation (1999) mention that vocabulary acquisition is considered significant in completing second language. Moreover, according to Nation (2001), learning vocabulary plays an important role in all language skills (i.e. listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL). Also, Huckin (1995) has shown that second language readers depend on vocabulary knowledge and lack of vocabulary knowledge is the major problem for readers to complete the reading skill. Wilkins (1972) mentions "There is. not much value in being able to produce grammatical sentences if one has not got the vocabulary that is needed to convey what one wishes to say ... While without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed" (pp. 111-112). Adolphs and Schmitt. (2004) think that learners need at least a vocabulary of 2,000 word families in order to understand around 90% and 94% dialogue in different. contexts. Mastery of vocabulary can support learners when they communicate in target language, while lack of vocabulary can lead learners to difficulties in communicating in target language. McCarthy (1990) states: "No matter how well the �tudent learns grammar, no matter how successfully the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wider range of meanings, communication in L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way"(p. viii). Vocabulary is essential in writing as well. Baba (2009) pinpointed that learners are aware that their limited vocabulary will stop them from performing well in their writing. Thus, it is undeniable that vocabulary plays an integral part in learning target language and good learning strategies will be an effective tool in learning target language. - 224 -


According to Schmitt (2002, pp. 205-215; as cited in Paul, 2009), there are five · main vocabulary learning strategies, namely Determination strategies, Social strategies, Memory strategies, Cognitive strategies and Metacognitive strategies, which are· understood as follows: • Determination strategies are regarded as individual learning strategies that learners use to find out the meaning of words by themselves without help, such as guessing meaning of words from context. • Social strategies refer to interaction between learners and their partners from whom they learn, like asking their classmate and their teacher for the meaning of a word. • Memory strategies are strategies which learners use in learning new words through mental processing by associating the words with its coordinates or by linking the background of the words. • Cognitive strategies are mechanical actions in learning new words of learners such as repeating the pronunciation of new words or keeping vocabulary notebook. • Metacognitive strategies are related to the ability of learners in controlling and assessing their own learning new words. Thus, this helps learners decide appropriate vocabulary learning strategies in learning new words. Many studies have been conducted to understand better about vocabulary learning in different strategies. Gu and Johnson (1996) carried out a study with large-scale on learners' vocabulary learning strategies at Beijing Normal University in China. Questionnaire was used to collect the data by researchers. They showed the relationship between responses to the questionnaire with results on a vocabulary size test and a general English proficiency measure. Moreover, they found a significant positive correlation between the two metacognitive strategies (Self-Initiation and Selective Attention) and the two test scores, whereas mnemonic devices (e.g. imagery, visual associations, and auditory associations), semantic encoding strategies, and word list learning probably correlated highly with vocabulary size, but not with general English proficiency. The study also revealed that Visual Repetition and Imagery Encoding were both strong negative predictors of vocabulary size and English proficiency. Hashemi and Hadavi conducted a study in 2004 to find out the use and preferences of vocabulary learning strategies among students at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. There were one hundred eighty five students with different majors participating in this study. The questionnaire used in the study adapted from Gu and Johnson's (1996) questionnaire which consisted of 45 items related to the students' approach to vocabulary learning. The results of the study showed that more than half of the students used dictionary in learning vocabulary. Moreover, social strategies and guessing strategies were the most used strategies while the least used strategies were note taking and autonomy. Medical and dentistry students prefered selective attention and study preference whereas nursing and paramedical students prefered social strategies. Female students used social strategies more while male students used autonomy and note taking more. In the context of Vietnam, different studies in this area are found. Pham (2010) carried out a study to understand the vocabulary learning strategies that freshmen of USSH of Vietnam National University, Hanoi used. A questionnaire and an interview - 225


were used to collect data. 421 first - year Vietnamese students from University of Social Science and Humanities (USS.H) took part in the study and 10 English teachers . who took charge of training the first year students also participated in the study. The study showed that students in USSH had a medium use of vocabulary learning strategies. Some strategies such as using monolingual dictionary, written repetition, choosing the important words, guessing the meaning of a word based on its structure, remember synonym and antonym of words were reported to be applied frequently than others. In 2014, Luong (2014) conducted a study to investigate vocabulary learning strategies that 10th grade students of Hoang Hoa High School in Thanh Hoa used. The researcher used a questionnaire, an interview and a class observation for English teachers. 140 students and 7 English teachers at Hoang Hoa High School joined the study. The results of the study stated that many strategies were used in learning vocabulary. Also, teachers and students knew the importance of teaching and learning vocabulary when learning English. 3. Methodology 3.1. Research setting and participants This study was conducted at Tran Phu High School which is located in Da Lat City, Vietnam and is one of the big schools in Da Lat which has about 1,200 students. The study involved 77 students (25 males and 52 females) of two classes from grade 10 at Tran Phu High School who were conveniently chosen. Among participants, about 57.1% of students had poor English ability, and there were 39% of students whose English levelr was pre-intermediate. However, just 3.9% of students had good or very good English ability. 3.2. Research instrument The questionnaire used in the study based on Schmitt's (2002) taxonomy of VLS and was adopted and adapted from Boonkongsaen's (2013) questionnaire and Luong's (2014) questionnaire. There were two parts in the questionnaire: Part I asking the personal information and Part II (questionnaire content) including 18 items asking about the use of vocabulary learning strategies. Eighteen items with a 4-point Likert scales (l=never, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=always/almost always) were divided into five categories (Table 1): Determination, Social, Memory, Cognitive and Metacognitive. The questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese so that the participants would not have any difficulties in understanding the questions. The Cronbach's alpha of this questionnaire was .76 which means the level of reliability of questionnaires is acceptable. Table 1: Vocabulary/earning strategies No.

Vocabulary learning strategies

Items

Number of items

------·- 1 ···--- _Determination JDET)_____________________ __________________,_ Q1,__ Q2,_ Q 3 ___ __ ____________ _ __ 3 ____ __________ _ _2 __ · _ _ Memory(MEM}_, ___ --·-- -- · ---- -· - --·--- _ _ Q4,QS,_Q6, Q7 __ . _ --- -- --�____________ ________ 3_________ Cognitive(COG)_ ______________ _ _ ________ _______ __ ________ Q8,_Q9 '·· Q10, Ql1 __ _ _ ___ _ __ _4___ _ __ _ _______ Ql2, Q�} Ql4, 4 4 . Metacognitive (MET) ·--------· -·--------· --···----··--·---·---· ·------·---. ·-----·-· ·-·· ----·· ·· ·-· ·····---·------·--···-------··--·-·----··-·-·-·-· -· . ........ ... .. ...... Q _··-·-· ··--·· ·---·--···--· · -··--·-· · ·-· --··-··· --·--·-·-------·--·--5 Social fSOC) Q16, 017, 018 3 Total 18 - 226


3.3. Data collection and procedure In respect of data collection, 80 copies of questionnaire were administrated to students, but only 77 copies were returned. It took students 15 minutes to answer the questions in the questionnaire. Regarding data analysis, the software SPSS version 19 was employed to analyze the data in terms of mean, standard deviation, and ANOVA. 4. Results and discussion 4.1. Results As can be seen in Table 2, the total mean scores of students' use of vocabulary strategies were relatively low. It is obvious that students sometimes used vocabulary learning strategies during their learning English (M=2.25, SD=.34). This means that students did not consider applying vocabulary learning strategies into their learning as important. Table 2: Total mean scores of students'.uses of vocabulary learning strategies No. 1

Students' uses of vocabulary learning strategies Students' uses of vocabulary learning strategies

M 22

N=77

I I

SD .34

Note: M: mean; SD: Standard deviation

According to Table 3, students had the tendency to sometimes "guess the meaning of the word through picture or object" (item 2: M=2.44, SD=.73). It is followed by "guess the meaning of word from context" (item 1: M=2.24, SD=.75). It can be further observed from Table 3 that students never or rarely used dictionary to find out the meaning of the word (item 3: M= 2.23, SD=.76). It can be interpreted that students sometimes used DET vocabulary learning strategies during their learning. Table 3: Students' uses of DET vocabulary learning strategies No.

1 2 3

Students' uses of DET vocabulary learning strategies I guess the meaning of the word from context such as the kind of word in a sentence or single word I guess the meaning of the word through picture or object. I use the dictionary to find out the meaning of the word

M

N=77

SD

2.24

.75

2.44

.73

2.23

..76


As can be seen in Table 4, it was noticed that item 6 (M=2.61, SD=.81) was the most used strategy that students used in their learning English. Noticeably, students sometimes also linked the word with a visual image that they knew in their mind (item 7: M=2.57, SD=.70). Furthermore, it can be seen from Table 4 that students never "link the word with another English word which has the same sound" (item 4: M=l.70, SD=.76) and "group the words with the same meaning or similar sound" (item 5: M=l.58, SD=.70). This means that MEM vocabulary learning strategies was not commonly used by students. - 227 -


Table 4: Students' uses of MEM vocabulary learning strategies No. 4 5 6 7

Students' uses of MEM vocabulary learning strategies I link the word with another English word which has the same sound I group the words with the same meaning or similar sound I remember the word in its context. I link the word with a visual image that I know in my mind

M

N=77

SD.

1.70

.76

1.58

.70

2.61

.81

2.57

.70

Ii II


The third category of COG vocabulary learning strategies has four items (Table 5). It was observed from Table 5 that students sometimes "repeatedly say the word" (item 8: M=2.52, SD=.90), "repeatedly write the word" (item 9: M=2.30, SD=.83) and "repeatedly spell the word" (item 10: M=2.14, SD=.91). However, students agreed that they never or rarely "have a notebook to write down the new vocabulary" (item 11: M=l.81, SD�.87). This can be understood that tenth graders sometime� applied COG vocabulary learning strategies into their English acquisition. Table 5: Students' uses of COG vocabulary learning strategies No. 8 9 10 11

Students' uses of COG vocabulary learning strategies 1 repeatedly say the word I repeatedly write the word I repeatedly spell the word I have a notebook to write down new vocabulary

M 2.52 2.30 2.14 1.81

N=77

SD .90 .83 .91 .87


In the respect of the fourth category of MET vocabulary learning strategies which includes four items as shown in Table 6, it was noticed that students sometimes "learn vocabulary through listening to English songs" (item 14: M=2.62, SD= .95), followed by "learn vocabulary from watching movies with English subtitles" (item 13: M=2.58, SD=.88). As can be seen from Table 6 that students sometimes learn vocabulary in their free time (item 12: M=2.12, SD=.69) and students never read newspapers, books written in English to gain their vocabulary (item 15: M=l.91, SD=.78). This can be interpreted that MET vocabulary learning strategies were sometimes employed by tenth graders. Table 6: Students' uses of MET vocabulary learning strategies No. 12 13 14 15

Students' uses of MET vocabulary learning strategies I learn vocabulary in my spare time l learn vocabulary from watching movies with English subtitles I learn vocabulary through listening to English songs I learn vocabulary through reading newspapers, books written in English.

M 2.12

N=77

SD .69

2.58

.88

2.62

.95

1.91

.78

Note: M: mean; SD: Standard deviation - 228 -

II


As seen from Table 7 which contains the items of SOC vocabulary learning strategies, students reported that they tended to sometimes "ask [their] friends for the meaning of a word" (item 16: M=2.88, SD=.79) and sometimes "ask [their] teachers for the meaning of a word"(item 17: M=2.45, SD=.79). It was further observed from Table 7 that students had the tendency of never "use vocabulary in communicating with English native speakers" (item 18: M=l.75, SD=.86). This means that participants sometimes considered using SOC vocabulary learning strategies to learn vocabulary. Table 7: Students' uses of SOC vocabulary learning strategies No. 16 17 18

Students' uses of SOC vocabulary learning strategies I ask my friends for the meaning of a word I ask my teachers for the meaning of a word I use vocabulary in communicating with English native speakers

M 2.88 2.45

N=77

1.75

SD .79 .79 .86


Table 8 lllustrates the change in using vocabulary learning strategies of students according to their gender based on the Independent-Samples T Test. As shown in Table 8, there was no significant difference in using vocabulary learning strategies between male students (p=.90, t=-.118) and female students (p=.90, t=-.118) in learning English. Table 8: Gender differences in using vocabulary learning strategies No.

Item

Sig.

t

1 2

Male Female

.90 .90

-.118 -.118

M 2.24 2.25

N=77

SD .06 .05

Note: M: mean; SD: Standard deviation *p>0.05 4.2. Discussion

The findings have indicated that Tran Phu High School 10th graders have poor awareness towards the role of vocabulary learning strategies in English language learning. Nation (2011) has mentioned that learning vocabulary plays an important role in all language skills (i.e. listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in ESL and EFL. However, the frequency in using vocabulary in learning English among 10th graders of Tran Phu High School was relatively low although it was reported that different vocabulary learning strategies were used by 10th graders of Tran Phu High School. The finding is also similar with the results of the study conducted by Pham (2010) who explored that students had a medium use of vocabulary learning strategies. The possible explanations for this may be students did not use to employ different strategies to improve their learning and students still learned vocabulary impulsively. Teachers may not have enough time to show students different strategies for students to apply in their learning as well. The study discovered that participants had the tendency to sometimes use DET vocabulary learning strategies most. Students' most used strategy was guessing the meaning through picture or object. The reason might be that picture or object was - 229


familiar with students and it was easier for students to guess the meaning from object or picture. In fact, the students are encouraged to guess the meaning of the word through picture or objecting because it will give them chances to be creative and think of different words for one object or picture. MEM strategies are the approaches which relate to "link the word with another English word which has the same sound, group the words with the same meaning or similar sound, remember the. word in its context, and link the word with a visual image in mind". Not many students used these .strategies; maybe the reason is that students were not familiar with them. However, among this group of strategies, "remember the word in its context" was the most used strategy. This is because remember the word in its context helps students remember the word longer and it is important in vocabulary tests of students. Regarding to COG strategies, students preferred "repeatedly say the word, repeatedly write the word and repeatedly spell the word". Students had low frequency use of having a notebook to write down new vocabulary. For MET strategies, it was reported to be sometimes used by students. It is said that information technology and mass media is widely used all over the world and students are taking advantages of that (Pham, 2010). Students sometimes watched movies with English subtitles and listened to English songs to ga'in their vocabulary. Students also preferred learning vocabulary in their free time. One interesting finding is that students did not tend to read books or newspapers written in English to expand their vocabulary. It is easy to understand that students did not have the habit of reading, especially reading in English. In terms of SOC strategies, the findings showed that students sometimes used these strategies in their English acquisition. As presented in the results, participants preferred to ask their friends or teachers for the meaning of a word rather than have conversations with foreigners. This fact can be easily understood because students were not afraid of asking their friends or teachers for help. Students do not want and often feel shy to have conversations with foreigners and tourists when they come to Da Lat city. This explains why among the group of SOC strategies, "use vocabulary in communicating with English native speakers" had the low frequency use. It had been found from the findings that gender did not affect their uses of vocabulary learning strategies. The reason for this might be that male and female students haven't found any particular strategies for them. Therefore, English teachers should encourage and introduce students to other vocabulary learning strategies to help the students make full use of them as no single strategy has been proved the best. 5. Conclusion In the present study, vocabulary learning strategies have not been considered important in English language learning. The results of the study indicate an overall low use of vocabulary learning strategies of 10th graders of Tran Phu High School. The frequency in using the strategies is not high although the data collected from the questionnaire indicate that participants used all most every strategy mentioned. There are some strategies which are reported to be used frequently such as "guess the meaning of the word through picture or object", "repeatedly say the word", "repeatedly - 230 -


write the word", "repeatedly spell the word", "watch movies with English subtitles", "ask friends for the meaning of the word';. The other strategies are reported to be used with low frequency. The findings also show that there was no significant difference in using vocabulary learning strategies between male and female students in learning English. Based on these findings of the study, two recommendations can be useful for English Foreign Language learners and teachers. First of all, teachers should choose some typical vocabulary learning strategies such as group the words with the same meaning, have a notebook to write down the new vocabulary which could be introduced to the students as soon as possible so that students can make use of them and apply them in their daily learning. Besides, learners can write the words in their notebook and group the words with the same meaning and add some other knowledge that they acquire about those words such as collocations, synonyms, antonyms. Learners should always be reminded to go through their notebook and add more new words. Secondly, learners should be give chances to test their vocabulary learning after applying the strategies. Teachers can give students different vocabulary exercises and tests so that students can practice. Therefore, students will find which strategies work well for them. A number of limitations can be recognized from the study due to the time constrains and the lack of time and experiences of the researcher. This was an exploratory study based on the present status of vocabulary learning by 1Qth graders of Tran Phu High School. A larger sample with more diverse backgrounds would be desirable in order to yield more generalisable findings.

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