A study on the vocabulary learning strategies employed by first year english majored students at vnua

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES BA THESIS A STUDY ON THE VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH-MAJORED

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BA THESIS

A STUDY ON THE VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY FIRST-YEAR

ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT VNUA

NGHIÊN CỨU NHỮNG CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC TỪ VỰNG

ĐƯỢC SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT NGÀNH

NGÔN NGỮ ANH SỬ DỤNG TẠI VNUA

Student : PHAM DUY SON

Student code : 621254

Supervisor : NGUYEN THI KIM QUE

Hanoi – 2021

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “A study on vocabulary learning strategies employed by first-year English-majored students at Vietnam National University of Agriculture” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis

Hanoi, 2021

Pham Duy Son

Approved by SUPERVISOR

(Signature and full name)

Date:………

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv

ABSTRACT v

LIST OF ABBREVIATION vi

LIST OF TABLES vii

Part 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY 1

1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 3

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 3

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 3

1.6 DESIGN OF THE STUDY 3

Part II: DEVELOPMENT 5

Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES 5

1.1.1 Review of the previous study at home 5

1.1.2 Review of the previous study abroad 6

1.2 REVIEW OF THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 8

1.2.1 Statement of theoretical framework chosen 8

1.2.1.1 Definition and importance of vocabulary 8

1.2.1.2 Definitions of Language Learning Strategies 9

1.2.1.3 Classifications of Language Learning Strategies 11

1.2.1.4 Definitions of Vocabulary Learning Strategies 15

1.2.1.5 Classifications of Vocabulary Learning Strategies 16

Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY 22

2.1 RESEARCH METHOD 22

2.3 DATA COLLECTION 22

2.3.1 Data collection instruments 22

2.3.2 Data collecting procedures 23

2.3.3 Data analysis 23

Chapter 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 24

3.2 THE MOST AND LEAST FREQUENTLY USED VLSs 25

3.3 DICTIONARY STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY PARTICIPANTS 27

3.4 MEMORY STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY PARTICIPANTS 28

3.5 GUESSING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY PARTICIPANTS 29

3.6 NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY PARTICIPANTS 30

3.7 SELECTIVE AND METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY

PARTICIPANTS 31

3.8 RECOMMENDATION 31

3.9 SUMMARY 32

Part 3: CONCLUSION 34

1 Recapitulation 34

2 Limitation of the study 35

3 Conclusion remarks 35

4 Suggestions for further study 35

REFERENCE 37

APPENDIX 43

I cannot fully express my gratitude to Ms Lam, an exceptional instructor, enthusiast lecturer I have ever known Thank you for your generosity, faith, and superb guidance

I could never have done this report without the eager cooperation and skilled work of my friend, Hanh Nguyen Her suggestions, too, have always been valuable

And finally, I would like to express my sincere to my parents, who always give me the ultimate support, become my motivation so that I can conduct this study

To these and all quoted in this study, I extend grateful thanks

ABSTRACT

Vocabulary plays an vital role in acquiring a language, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed Vocabulary is one of the three elements of language, the building material and the basic of language Encountering vast amount new words to learn, it is necessary to investigate vocabulary learning strategies This study aims to investigate the use and preference of these strategies among the students at Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) Firstly it introduces the importance of vocabulary Secondly it gives definition and classifications about the vocabulary learning strategies Thirdly it discovers the vocabulary learning strategies used by first-year English-majored students at VNUA It is hoped that this paper can offer some help for students’s English vocabulary learning and improve students’ interest in learning vocabulary The research method approach of the study was quantitative method with the main data collection instrument was a questionnaire adapted from Seddigh and Shokrpour (2012) The results show that the metacognitive and dictionary strategies were preferred most by the participants whereas the least used strategies were note-taking and selective strategies The findings of this study led to some suggestions to enrich English-majored students’ vocabulary learning

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

LLSs Language Learning Strategies

SD Standard Deviation

VLSs Vocabulary Learning Strategies

VNUA Vietnam National University of Agriculture

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Rubin’s Language Learning Strategy System (Rubin, 1975,

p.41-50; 1981, 117-131) 12

Table 2: Oxford’s Language Learning Strategy System (Oxford, 1990, p.17) 13

Table 3: O’Malley and Chamot’s Language Learning Strategy System (O’Malley and Chamot, 1990) 14

Table 4: A Taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (Schmitt, 1997) 18

Table 5: Frequency of Strategy groups used by English-majored students (K65) 25

Table 6: Most frequently used vocabulary learning strategies 26

Table 7: Least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies 26

Table 8: Dictionary strategies employed by participants 27

Table 9: Memory strategies employed by participants 28

Table 10: Guessing strategies employed by participants 29

Table 11: Note-taking strategies employed by participants 30

Table 12: Selective strategies employed by participants 31

Table 13: Metacognitive strategies employed by participants 31

Part 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY

According to David Crystal (2006), English is the official language of more than 53 countries and territories, the second language of nearly 100 countries, and a common language of over 400 million people in the world In the era of Industry 4.0, many industries are using English, such as media, healthcare, tourism, commerce, etc In most of the forums, meetings, and workshops in the world, despite the fact that there are many people from different parts of the world where English is not their first language, they are still able to communicate with each other thanks to this international language English is the ticket, the key to open the door connecting to the modern world, connecting to people from all around the globe, and indispensable for anyone wishing to prove themselves in nowadays globalization era It is undeniable that with the full equipment in both knowledge and communication skills, English proficient people can quickly integrate into a multicultural environment and have better performance The English learners aim for four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing)

Nonetheless, learning English or mastery of the four skills is like playing the jigsaw puzzle, vocabulary is the pieces of the puzzle, and without it, nothing can be created Learners who want to master English must accumulate a lot of vocabulary; nevertheless, numerous English learners do not have a rich vocabulary as a result of not having an effective study strategy No one can deny the fact that vocabulary plays an important role when it comes to learning and using English Its importance is emphasized by Wilkins (1972): "without grammar, very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be

conveyed" Moreover, vocabulary helps learners understand the information imparted by others when communicating or when learning English

Learning and improving the foreign language, especially English, is highly essential for English-majored students at the Vietnam National University of Agricultural (VNUA) as this is their major Furthermore, the English-majored students' level must be at least C1 (The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) in order to meet the graduation requirements

Unlike high school education, university education has a tremendous amount of knowledge However, due to the strict curriculum in university, lecturers do not have enough time to introduce all the new words to the students Hence, the learning vocabulary relies on the self-studying process at home On the other hand, students believe that learning a new word is to memorize the spelling and the meaning of that word Thus, it is common to find that students often suffer from acquiring and producing language as a result of their insufficient vocabulary knowledge It seems that by virtue of a massive difference in terms of learning between high school and university, without a suitable learning vocabulary strategy, a large number of English-majored first-year students (K65) at VNUA can be overwhelmed and faced several challenges In order to bring a comprehensive picture of the English vocabulary learning of university students, further research on this issue is needed This paper intends to study the current VLSs employed by first-year English-majored students and proposing ways to use VLSs more effectively

1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study was mainly about trying to understand the VLSs employed by first-year English-majored students at VNUA

The objectives of the study were to find out the VLSs used by the year English-majored students at VNUA and to suggest some useful strategies for English-majored students to enrich their vocabulary

English-1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The subject of the study was the VLSs employed by first-year majored students at VNUA, and the study's objects were the English vocabulary learning activities of first-year English-majored students at VNUA There were

English-138 English-majored (K65) students participating in the research

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study mainly focuses on the research of current VLSs in order to come up with appropriate strategies to hone the vocabulary learning quality of English-majored students (in general and first-year English-majored students in particular)

1.6 DESIGN OF THE STUDY

Besides the abstracts, references & appendices, the study consists of three main chapters:

The introduction provides the rationale of the study, the aims and objectives of the study, research questions, the scope as well as significance of the study

Chapter 1 describes the review of related literature on vocabulary learning strategies This chapter summarizes how vocabulary learning strategies are defined and classified by different researchers

Chapter 2 mainly deals with the methodology used in the research including quantitative research, setting, data collection instruments, data collecting procedures, and the data analysis instruments

Chapter 3 demonstrates and discusses the results of the research in terms

of students' overall strategy use, frequency of use of strategies reported by 138 first-year English-majored students (K65) at VNUA

The conclusion summarizes the major findings of the study and proposes suggestions for further studies

Part II: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter mainly concentrates on the review of related literature concerning VLSs It starts with several concise reviews of related literature and research works conducted by both Vietnamese and others This is followed by how the previous scholars define and classify VLSs

1.1 REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES

1.1.1 Review of the previous study at home

In “Vocabulary learning strategies employed by students at Hung Vuong Gifted High School” written by Đinh Thụy Hằng, ULIS; 2008, Dinh (2008) analyzes the VLSs generally used by the students at Hung Vuong Gifted High School and the differences in VLSs by genders The statistics showed that most

of the strategies were not used with high frequency The data also pointed out the participants used determination strategies more often than memory, cognitive, metacognitive, and social strategies Regarding the impact of genders

on the choice of VLSs, Dinh finds out that the difference between males and females in the use of VLSs was not significant

Tran (2012) investigates the frequency of VLSs are used by students at the University of Da Nang She finds that because students are used to the traditional learning technique, students realize that they only need to repeat or write the word constantly in order to memorize that word However, it is likely that very few words you can obtain and remember through this way of learning,

we can see that this strategy is not efficient In her study, Tran also indicates the inappropriate use of VLSs of the students and the lack of linking vocabulary with reality However, she did not point out which strategies are suitable for

ESP (English for Specific Purposes) students in the College of Foreign Language - the University of Da Nang

Nguyen (2012) finds that the most used strategies of Thai Nguyen University of Technology students were repeating the word by writing and keeping vocabulary notebook strategies Additionally, memory strategies are used at the lowest frequency Thus, the findings confirmed that LLSs are one of the effective ways to enhance learners’ autonomy

On the other hand, Vi (2018) has a slightly different definition of VLSs compared to Dinh (2008) or Tran (2012) Instead of dividing it into determination, memory, cognitive, metacognitive, and social strategies, she considers VLSs as creating motivation for self-learning, recognizing important and popular vocabulary, using the dictionary, guessing the meaning of the words, noting when self-learning, and put vocabulary in context Her study indicates that motivation, serious attitude, learn from people around, know how

to apply vocabulary in all communication situations

According to Pham (2020), students at Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry were aware of the importance of vocabulary learning Many students claimed that learning vocabulary means that they know the meaning, spelling as well as pronunciation of that word Nonetheless, most of the strategies they used are shallow strategies that are popular among the new learners

1.1.2 Review of the previous study abroad

Gu (2002) explored the relationship among gender, academic major, learning strategies and learning outcomes and found that the female students significantly outperformed their male counterparts; academic major was found

to be a less potent background factor; strategy differences were also found between majors

MSG Hamzah, R Kafipour, and SK Abdullah (2009) declare that only nine out of forty-one VLSs showed a contribution and related significantly to the vocabulary size The study revealed that cognitive and metacognitive strategies are the most frequently used strategies, and the three least frequently used strategies belong to social, memory, and studying the word with classmates

Hashemi & Hadavi (2015) identify the use and preferences of VLSs among the students in an Iranian university (Investigation of vocabulary learning

strategies among EFL Iranian medical sciences students Procedia-Social and

Behavioral Sciences.) The data revealed that social and guessing strategies

acquired the highest mean scores, whereas autonomy and note-taking were the least used strategies On the other hand, Hashemi and Hadavi indicate that male students preferred autonomy and note-taking strategies while female students went for social strategies

Whereas Aravind & Rajasekaran (2018) find that cognitive strategies were the most used strategies by research scholars at VIT Chennai, Tamil, Nadu, determination strategies were ranked second and followed by metacognitive strategies Unlike Hashemi & Hadavi, Aravind & Rajasekaran did not concern the correlation point between genders and choices of strategies

In summary, in the field of VLSs, research works have explored many aspects in different contexts, however, there was almost no one has carried out the VLSs employed by English students at VNUA As a result, it is necessary to conduct research on this specific context

1.2 REVIEW OF THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1.2.1 Statement of theoretical framework chosen

1.2.1.1 Definition and importance of vocabulary

1.2.1.1.a The definition of vocabulary

Words are the fundamental factors of print and oral communication in our daily life Word is an instrument of interpretation It is clear that the more words

a person possesses, the better he can deliver his thoughts According to Vardar (1998), all the words a person uses to express his ideas are called vocabulary It

is impossible to be succeeded in studying a language without comprehending the vocabulary Kamil and Hiebert (2005) asserted that vocabulary is the comprehension of the meaning of words; they also indicated that the forms of vocabulary are divided into oral and print forms, which is the complex factor that affects the defining vocabulary definition The Kamil and Hiebert’s definition will be used in this study because this definition can deliver the clearer meaning and also provide broader view about vocabulary

1.2.1.1.b The importance of vocabulary

Several researchers have stated that the mastery of vocabulary is a crucial component in learning English For instance, McCarthy (1990) pointed out that

“for successful communication in a foreign language, vocabulary is more crucial than any other language skills” Similarly, Katatay (2004, p.21) stated that "The ability of the four basic language skills to read, write, speak and listen, and to be able to use these skills actively is closely related to acquired vocabulary" Moreover, Zhihong Bai (2018, p.853) indicated that “vocabulary is one the three key factors for language learning It is the basic to make sentences and express thoughts and meanings, and a requirement of language communication, so a big

amount of stable vocabulary is significant and essential” Therefore, it is undeniable that vocabulary plays a vital role in language acquisition, possess a wide and deep range of vocabulary can help learners convey their message more efficiently

1.2.1.2 Definitions of Language Learning Strategies

The term “language learning strategies” has been defined by numerous

researchers in various ways and various aspects Each definition is varying based on the author's perception, notwithstanding they still have some points in common This part aims to provide some LLSs definitions

According to Chang, Liu, and Lee (2007), “Strategy” refers to the generalship or the art of war “Tactics”, on the other hand, is different but however still related to strategies Thus, the two expressions have a number of concepts in common such as competition, conscious manipulation, planning, and movement toward a goal Schemeck (1988, p.5) stated in his study that strategy

is “the implementation of a set of procedures (tactics) for accomplishing something” and learning strategy is “a sequence of procedures for accomplishing learning” while Weinstein and Mayer (1986, p.315) defined learning strategies as “behaviors and thoughts that a learner engages in during learning and that are intended to influence the learner’s encoding process”

Bialystok (1978, p.76) described LLSs as “optional means for exploiting available information to improve competence in a second language” (p.71) He identified four kinds of LLSs: (a) formal practicing; (b) functional practicing; (c) monitoring; and (d) inferencing On the other hand, O’Malley et al (1985, p.23) gave different a definition of LLSs as “language learning strategies have been broadly defined as any set of operations or steps used by a learner that will

facilitate the acquisition, storage, retrieval, or use of information” Similarly, Rubin (1987, p.23) defined LLSs as “strategies which contribute to the development of the language system which the learner constructs and affects learning directly”

Nunan (1991, p 168) offered the definition of LLSs as “the mental process which learners employed to learn and use the target language” However, McIntyre (1994, p 185) saw the LLSs as “the techniques and tricks that learners use to make the language easier to master” Share the same idea, Ellis (1997, pp 76-77) defines LLSs are “particular approaches or techniques that learners employ to try to learn a second language They can be behavioral (for example, repeating new words aloud to help remember them), or they can

be mental (for example, using the linguistic or situational context to infer the meaning of a new word”)

Nevertheless, Brown (2000) defined LLSs as “specific attacks that are made on a given problem They are moment-by-moment techniques employed

to solve problems passed by second language input and output” Chamot (2005) said that learning strategies are consist of methods, approaches, and actions taken by students to encourage learning and obtaining linguistic information ,while Griffths (2008) stated that LLSs are “activities consciously chosen by learners for the purpose of regulating their own language learning”

Oxford (2003, p.8) defined LLSs as “specific actions taken by the learners to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective and more transferable to new situations” Although the LLSs definition may be controversial, Oxford’s definition has been chosen for this

study because it reflects the meaning and the semantic components of the term

“learning strategies”

We can observe that different language researchers have different choices

of words to describe the term “strategies”, for instance, “means” (Bialystok, 1978); “set of operations” (O’Malley et al., 1985); “behaviors and thoughts” (Weinstein and Mayer, 1986); “procedures” (Schemeck, 1988); “mental process” (Nunan, 1991); “techniques and tricks” (McIntyre, 1994; Ellis, 1997);

“actions” (Oxford, 2003); “activities” (Griffths, 2008) Despite the fact that different researchers proposed different definitions of LLSs, nonetheless, their definitions still share some common characteristics as LLSs refer to students' acts (conscious or unconscious, observable or unobservable) in carrying out tasks or processing information to obtain the target language successfully The students' acts may contribute to their language learning either directly or indirectly

In conclusion, the LLSs definition may vary in many different ways As a result, language learners in order to succeed in learning a language have to discover the swiftest or the simplest approaches to achieve the target language

1.2.1.3 Classifications of Language Learning Strategies

It is clear that different researchers have different ways or personal criteria

or their own theory to classify LLSs Therefore, the variation of the language learning strategy classifications is inevitable, the classifications may be based on the researchers' personal experiences, their investigations, or other researchers' theories What follows is the classifications of LLSs proposed by three researchers in different settings These works include Rubin (1975, 1981);

Oxford (1990), and O'Malley & Chamot (1990)

1.2.1.3.a Classification of Language Learning Strategies by Rubin (1975, 1981)

Rubin (1975, p.41-50; 1981, 117-131) classified LLSs into two categories that can help language learners acquire the target language directly or indirectly Her classification consists of six direct strategies and two indirect strategies (See Table 1)

Table 1: Rubin’s Language Learning Strategy System

(Rubin, 1975, p.41-50; 1981, 117-131)

Direct

strategies

1 Classification Asking for an example of how to use a

particular word or expression

2 Guessing

Using clues from other items in the sentence/phrase, or key words in a sentence to guess

3 Deductive Reasoning

Inferring grammatical rules by analogy, or grouping words according to similarity of endings

4 Practice

Experimenting with new words in isolation and

in context, or using mirror for practice

Initiating conversation with fellow student/teacher/native speaker, or creating situation with natives in order to practice

2 Production tricks

Using circumlocution and paraphrase to get message across, or repeating sentence or further understanding

1.2.1.3.b Classification of Language Learning Strategies by Oxford (1990)

In Oxford’s (1990) study, she synthesized study results and produced a new LLSs system with six categories (memory strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, affective strategies, and social strategies) were divided into two major types which are direct and indirect (See Table 2)

Table 2: Oxford’s Language Learning Strategy System (Oxford, 1990, p.17)

A Creating mental linkages

B Applying images and sounds

C Reviewing well

D Employing action

2 Cognitive strategies

A Practicing

B Receiving and sending messages

C Analyzing and reasoning

D Creating structure for input and output

3 Compensation strategies

A Centering your learning

B Arranging and planing your learning

C Evaluating your learning

2 Affective A Lowering your anxiety

B Encouraging yourself

strategies C Taking your emotional temperature

3 Social strategies

A Asking questions

B Cooperating with others

C Empathizing with others

1.2.1.3.c Classification of Language Learning Strategies by O’Malley and Chamot (1990)

O’Malley and Chamot (1990) have a different perspective in terms of classifying LLSs They proposed a classification of LLSs based on their own investigation, which consists of three fundamental categories: cognitive, metacognitive, and social/ affective (See Table 3) For more specific, cognitive refer to the psychological processes, while metacognitive strategies refer to learners’ management of their learning Social strategies are the ways in which students cooperate or interact with other people during the learning progress Last but not least, affective strategies refer to manipulating over emotions or pessimistic thoughts in order to maintain study

Table 3: O’Malley and Chamot’s Language Learning Strategy System

(O’Malley and Chamot, 1990)

1.2.1.4 Definitions of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

It is undeniable that vocabulary is a vital element of language proficiency and its acquisition is a prime factor of effective communicative skills Language learners need to use strategies to help them obtain new lexical items and enrich their vocabulary As a result, researchers have paid more attention to VLSs since the late 1970s, and their investigation has progressed our perception of the processes learners use to utilize their skills in a second language Therefore, numerous language researchers like Gu (1994) and Schmitt (1997) applied their knowledge of LLSs came up with a sub-category of LLSs called “Vocabulary Learning Strategies”

As stated by Oxford (1990, p.8), VLSs are “operations employed by the learner to aid the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information" Similarly, Schmitt (1997, p.203) declared VLSs as “the process by which information is obtained, stored, retrieved and used therefore vocabulary learning strategies could be any which affect this broadly defined process” Cameron (2001, p.92) defined VLSs as "the actions that learners take to help themselves perceive and recall vocabulary items" Sharing the same idea, Wen Qiufang (2003) believed that VLSs are “behaviors or actions which learners use

to make learning more effective” Adopted VLSs definitions from Rubin (1987); Wenden (1987); Oxford (1990); and Schmitt (1997), Catalán (2003, p.56) came

up with her own VLSs definition as "understanding about the mechanisms (techniques, methods) used in order to acquire vocabulary as well as steps or actions taken by students to identify the meaning of unknown words, to maintain them in long-term memory, to recall them at will, and to use them in oral or written mode" In contrast with Catalán's definition, Nur Hanisah Safian et al (2014, p.1) definition is much simpler, they stated VLSs are steps taken by

language learners to acquire new English words Similarly, VLSs are behaviors

or actions which learners use to make vocabulary learning more effective (Zhihong Bai, 2018, p.885)

For the purpose of this study, the Oxford’s definition was selected because of its comprehensiveness and it is considered the most detailed definition

In conclusion, most of the literature which has been studied presents a related point of view and places emphasis on the significance of having VLSs It does not mean that the strategies are only restricted to the learners, it is equally crucial to the teachers as it is to the learners Having knowledge about the distinctive sorts of choices in VLSs will provide an abundance of opportunities for teachers, researchers, and curriculum developers to design appropriate materials for classroom purposes

1.2.1.5 Classifications of Vocabulary Learning Strategies

Oxford (1990) established a system that includes a list of six dominant strategy categories, containing (1) memory, (2) cognitive, (3) compensation, (4) metacognitive, (5) affective, and (6) social Memory strategies relate the new material to existing knowledge Cognitive strategies exhibit the common function of controlling or transformation of the target language by the learner Compensation strategies involve different ways of compensating for missing knowledge Metacognitive strategies involve a conscious overview of the learning process and making decisions about planning, monitoring, or evaluating the best ways to study Affective strategies exhibit how to manage one’s emotions in language learning Social strategies use the interaction with other people to improve language learning

Stoffer (1995) developed a survey of VLSs that included 53 items and came up with nine categories: (1) strategies involving authentic language use; (2) strategies used for self-motivation; (3) strategies used to organize words; (4) strategies used to create mental linkages; (5) strategies involving creative activities; (6) strategies involving physical action; (7) strategies used to overcome anxiety; (8) memory strategies; and (9) auditory strategies

Gu and Johnson (1996) listed VLSs as 4 major strategies: (1) cognitive, (2) metacognitive, (3) memory, and (4) activation strategies The cognitive strategies include guessing strategies, note-taking strategies, and skillful use of dictionary Metacognitive strategies consist of selective attention and self-initiation strategies Memory strategies comprise of rehearsal and encoding Finally, activation strategies are those strategies that learners use new words in multiple different contexts The total number of strategies in their study was 74 items

Sharing Oxford's ideas, Schmitt (1997) adopted four strategy groups from Oxford’s system which are: memory, cognitive, metacognitive, and social Schmitt stated that Oxford's system lack of category which describes the sort of strategies employed by an individual when encountered with discovering a new word's meaning recourse to another person’s expertise so he added a new category which is “determination strategies” to the taxonomy Schmitt’s strategies are divided into two groups in the form of “Discovery” and

“Consolidation” The former (discovery) strategies include determination and social strategies, the primary focus of these strategies is to determine the meaning of the new words Whereas the latter (consolidation) strategies consist

of social, memory, cognitive, and metacognitive, the major purpose of these strategies is to reinforce, modify, and enrich the meaning of the words that are either already known or partially known However, with the rapid pace of

development of science and technology, Schmitt’s taxonomy of VLSs has been updated which contains five major categories (fifty-eight individual strategies)

as can be observed in the table below (See Table 4)

The VLSs classification system used in this study is the categorization utilized by Jones (2006) system, strategies are classified under eight parts as dictionary strategies, study preferences, memory strategies, guessing strategies, note-taking strategies, social strategies, selective attention, and autonomy

Table 4: A Taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (Schmitt, 1997)

DET Guess from textual context DET Bilingual dictionary

DET Monolingual dictionary DET World lists

DET Flash cards

Table 4 (cont): A Taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (Schmitt, 1997)

SOC Discovery new meaning through group work

meaning MEM Connect word to a personal experience MEM Associate the word with its coordinates MEM Connect the word to its synonyms and antonyms MEM Use semantic maps

MEM Use ‘scales’ for gradable adjectives MEM Pegword Method