The relationship between the use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy of the first year non major english students at thainguyen university of technology

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ THƯƠNG HUYỀN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE USE OF VOCABULA

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-

GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ THƯƠNG HUYỀN

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE USE OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES AND LEARNER AUTONOMY OF THE

1ST YEAR NON-MAJOR ENGLISH STUDENTS AT

THAINGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

(Mối quan hệ giữa việc sử dụng các chiến lược học từ vựng với tính tự chủ của sinh viên năm thứ nhất không chuyên tiếng Anh tại trường Đại học Kỹ

Thuật Công Nghiệp Thái Nguyên)

M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10

Hanoi - 2012

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-

GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ THƯƠNG HUYỀN

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE USE OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES AND LEARNER AUTONOMY OF THE

1ST YEAR NON-MAJOR ENGLISH STUDENTS AT

THAINGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

(Mối quan hệ giữa việc sử dụng các chiến lược học từ vựng với tính tự chủ của sinh viên năm thứ nhất không chuyên tiếng Anh tại trường Đại học Kỹ

Thuật Công Nghiệp Thái Nguyên)

M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10

Supervisor: Đỗ Bá Quý, M.Ed.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION……….……… ………….i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……….……… ii

ABSTRACT……… iii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES……….vi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS……… vii

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.Rationale……… ……….… 1

2 Aims of study……… ……… ……… …2

3 Scope of the study……….……… 2

4 Methods of the study………….……….……… … … 3

5 Significance of the study……… … …… ……… …………3

6 Organization of the study……….…….……… ……… 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Learner autonomy……….…….…… ……… 4

1.1.1.Definition of learner autonomy……….…….……… 4

1.1.2 Characteristics of autonomous language learners……….…… 5

1.1.3 Factors affecting learner autonomy……… 7

1.2 Language learning strategies……… ………….………….… …… 9

1.2.1 Definition of language learning strategies……….…….10

1.2.2 Definition of vocabulary learning strategies……… 11

1.2.3 Classification of vocabulary learning strategies………11

1.3 The effect of learner autonomy and language learning strategies on successful language learning……….… ……… ……… 12

1.3.1 The effect of learner autonomy on successful language learning………….12

1.3.2 The effect of learning strategies on successful and autonomous language learning 13

1.4 Summary………… …….…… ……….15

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

2.1 Research questions and descriptions of variables………….…… ………… 16

2.1.1 Research questions……… ……….……… 16

2.1.2 Descriptions of variables……… ……….……….16

2.2 Participants……….… …… ……16

2.3 Data collection instruments………… ………17

2.3.1 Questionnaire……… 17

2.3.2 Autonomous learner checklist……….………18

2.4 Data collection procedures……… ……… 20

2.5 Data analysis……… ……… ……… 20

2.5.1 Questionnaire data analysis……….…20

2.5.2 Autonomous learner checklist analysis……….……….21

2.5.3.The analysis of the correlation between two variables: the use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy………….……….21

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 The respondents‟ profile……….……… 23

3.2 The students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies……… … 24

3.3 The level of students‟ autonomy……… ……….28

3.4 The students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy……….…… 32

3.4.1 The results of determining the form, direction and degree of the correlation on a graph and by regression analysis………33

3.4.2 The results of determining the relationship between the students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy with Paired Sample T-test……… ……… ……35

3.4.3 Discussion of the results of the association between the students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy……… 36

3.5 Summary……… ………… ……… 37

PART C: CONCLUSION 1.Conclusions……… … ……….……….……38

2 Implications……….……… 39

3 Limitations of the study……… ….………41

4 Suggestions for further research……….…… ………… …41

REFERENCES… ……….42

APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: SCHMITT‟S TAXONOMY OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES (1997)………ix

APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE (English version)……… xi

APPENDIX 3: AUTONOMOUS LEARNER CHECKLIST (English version) xvi

APPENDIX 4: QUESTIONNAIRE (Vietnamese version)……… ………xviii

APPENDIX 5: AUTONOMOUS LEARNER CHECKILST (Vietnamese version) ……… ………xxiii

APPENDIX 6: RESULTS OF THE RESPONDENTS‟ BACKGROUND INFORMATION……… ………… xxv

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

TABLES

Table 1.1: Dependent and Autonomous Learners……… 6

Table 2.1: Informants‟ background information of the survey……… 17

Table 3.1: The use of vocabulary learning strategies……… 24

Table 3.2: Learner autonomy checklist……… 28

Table 3.3: The regression of the Correlation between the students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy……… 33

Table 3.4: The coefficient size of the relationship between the students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy……… 34

Table 3.5: The coefficients in the pattern……… 34

Table 3.6: Mean and Standard Deviation of the scores of the use of VLSs and learner autonomy……… 35

Table 3.7: Correlation of the use of VLSs and learner autonomy……… 35

Table 3.8: Paired t-test Analysis of the scores of the use of VLS and learner autonomy……… 36

FIGURES Figure 3.1: Vocabulary learning strategy use results……… 25

Figure 3.2: Learner autonomy results……… 29

Figure 3.3: The linear relationship between TNUT students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy……… 33

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

LLS: Language learning strategy

LLSs: Language learning strategies

VLSs: Vocabulary learning strategies

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Learner autonomy has gradually come into existence and become one ofprominent themes since the 1970s as a consequence of a new shift in study interests

on language learning Few would doubt that learner autonomy in language learningcan lead to positive outcomes, such as the development of life-long learners.Besides, Oxford (1990) adds that language learning strategies also encouragegreater overall self-direction which is particularly important for language learners,because they will not always have the teacher around to guide them as they use thelanguage outside the classroom In addition, Wenden (1991) also emphasizes thatlearners need to be aware of different learning strategies so that they can becomeautonomous language learners They will become not only efficient at learning andusing their second language but also enable them to self-direct these endeavors.Obviously, language learning strategies play an important role in fostering learnerautonomy

Undoubtedly, learner autonomy in vocabulary learning has become a necessityfor English language learners in higher education institutions that adopt eithertraditional or open education nowadays One of the areas that has the greatestpotential for adopting learner autonomy is vocabulary (McCarthy, 1990) Therefore,exploring the relationship between the use of vocabulary learning strategy andlearner autonomy is particularly necessary and helpful

Despite being discussed worldwide, learner autonomy remains a fairly novelconcept in Vietnam and Thainguyen University of Technology is no exception.Benson, Chik & Lim (2003) explained that since the idea of learner autonomyoriginated from Western cultures, it hardly suffices to just transfer the concept to anAsian context Besides, vocabulary plays an important role because students atTNUT need to learn English in the two years of their course with emphasis onEnglish for Specific Purposes studies in the second year However, after seven yearsstudying English at school, most tertiary students continue to find learningvocabulary a difficult task, so they have to depend on teachers and dictionaries so

much that their scores in English learning are not high As mentioned, languagelearning strategies contributes effectively to the enhancement of learner autonomy.Hence, it is useful to develop TNUT first year students‟ use of vocabulary learningstrategies, and thereby fostering the learner autonomy to higher learning outcomeexpectations.

For both practical and theoretical reasons, there is a pressing need for theresearcher to carry out this study to explore what the relationship between the use ofstudents‟ vocabulary learning strategies and the learner autonomy is

2 Aims of the study

The study is aimed at improving the use of vocabulary learning strategies andthe learner autonomy by determining the relationship between the use of students‟vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy To achieve this aim, the threefollowing specific objectives are to be obtained:

 The level of TNUT first year students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies is investigated

 The level of learner autonomy is measured

 The relationship between TNUT first year students‟ use of vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy is decided

3 Scope of the study

The focus of the study is on the level of TNUT students‟ use of vocabularylearning strategies; students‟ degree of learner autonomy and the relationshipbetween the students‟ use of English vocabulary learning strategies and their level

of learner autonomy

4 Methods of the study

To achieve the above aims, a study is carried out as a survey using mainlyquantitative approach for data collection and analysis from different sources First, asurvey questionnaire is carried out on first year students at TNUT to investigatetheir frequent use of vocabulary learning strategies Next, autonomous learnerchecklist is used to collect data to find out how autonomous the students are After

that, the results of the collected data are computed and analyzed using StatisticalPackage for the Social Science (SPSS), version 17.0 to explore the relationshipbetween their vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy.

5 Significance of the study

The researcher hopes that the findings of the study would help her to know thelevel of vocabulary learning strategy use and degree of learner autonomy of theTNUT students and the relationship between them The results of the study wouldhelp to develop students‟ vocabulary learning in English as well as foster theirlearner autonomy in order to improve English teaching and learning process atTNUT

6 Organization of the study

The research paper is organized in three main parts as follows:

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews theories related to terminological definitions of learnerautonomy, characteristics of autonomous language learners, factors affecting learnerautonomy, language learning strategies in general and vocabulary learning strategies

in particular It also summarizes some studies on the effect of LLSs and learnerautonomy on successful language learning that have been conducted so far

1.1 Learner autonomy

For over twenty years, the notion of learner autonomy has attracted attentionfrom many researchers It is understandable because autonomous learners satisfywhat democratic societies require (Hedge, 2000) and also meet the demand ofhighly technological societies (Knowles, 1976, cited in Wenden and Rubin, 1987)

1.1.1 Definition of learner autonomy

Learner autonomy has been defined in different ways by different researchersand theorists in different contexts

According to Holec (1981:3), one of the earliest advocates of autonomy inlanguage teaching has defined it as “the ability to take care of one‟s own learning”

In language education, however, the word has been used in at least five differentways: (a) for situations in which learners study entirely on their own; (b) for a set ofskills which can be learned and applied in self-directed learning; (c) for an inborncapacity which is suppressed by institutional education; (d) for the exercise oflearners‟ responsibility for their own learning; (e) for the right of learners todetermine the direction of their own learning (Benson &Voller, 1997)

According to Berge (1995, cited in Hsu, 2005) the definition of learnerautonomy can be understood as the notion of being ready to act independently and

to cooperate with others as a socially responsible

Later, Little (2003, quoted in Sert, 2006) points out that “the practice of learnerautonomy requires insight, a positive attitude, a capacity for reflection, and areadiness to be proactive in self-management and in interaction with others”

As mentioned above, there have been many different definitions of learnerautonomy Holec‟s definition is chosen as the basic of this study However, becausethe purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the use of VLSsand learner autonomy, the operational definition is used based on Holec‟s

definition, “learner autonomy is the learner ability to take responsibility for their

own learning; study entirely on their own; acquire the learning strategies; hold positive attitude; be self-reliant; and be ready in interaction with others”.

1.1.2 Characteristics of autonomous language learners

This section discusses some proposals of scholars on characteristics ofautonomous language learners

Holec (cited in Hsu, 2005) stated that to be an autonomous learner is to be themanager of his or her own learning processes This is further developed by Nunan(1997:193) as the ability “to hold the responsibility for all the decisions concerningall aspects of this learning, i.e.: determining the objectives; defining the contentsand progressions; selecting methods and techniques to be used; monitoring theprocedure of acquisition properly speaking; and evaluating what has beenacquired” Thus, in Holec‟s viewpoint, autonomous learners are the ones who havethe ability to determine the goals, contents and progressions; choose and usemethods and techniques to achieve those goals, contents and progressions; chooseand use methods and techniques to achieve those objectives; and assess what hasbeen acquired

Additionally, Littlewood (1997) mentioned that motivation and confidenceconstitute willingness, whereas knowledge and skills are the bases for ability andautonomy is possible only to the extent that students possess both the willingnessand the ability to act independently More specifically, students‟ willingness to actindependently depends on the level of their knowledge and skills

From above discussion, there are the similar ideas about the features ofautonomous language learners among them The following features outlined in thetable below illustrated clearly the comparison between learners who can be defined

as autonomous and dependent learners

Table 1.1: Dependent and Autonomous learners

1 rely heavily on teachers 1 are self-reliant

2 cannot make decisions about their 2 can make informed decisions about their

3 do not know their own strengths and 3 are aware of their strengths and

4 do not connect classroom learning with 4 are able to transfer classroom learning

5 think that the teacher is wholly 5 take responsible for their own learningresponsible for their learning

6 do not possess metacognitive and 6 possess metacognitive and metalinguisticmetalinguistic awareness awareness

7 are not able to plan their learning 7 plan their learning and set goals

8 need extrinsic motivators such as 8 are intrinsically motivated by making

9 do not reflect on how well they are 9 often reflect on the learning process andlearning and the reasons their own progress

10 are not able to assess their learning 10 possess the ability to self-access

(Adapted from Mynard and Sorflaten (2003), cited in Köse, 2006)

These key characteristics noted above on the right hand are likely features for

the author‟s teaching context That is why they will be used as criteria to measure

levels of students‟ autonomy as well as encourage them to become totally

autonomous language learners or truly independent language learners in this thesis

As can be seen Table 1.1, the features of dependent learners are absolutely

contrasted with those of autonomous ones However, no learner can be said to be

completely autonomous or completely dependent Therefore, we can portray learner

autonomy across a continuum At one end of the continuum, we have dependent

learners who do not have the opportunity to develop learner independence On the

other end we have the learners who have all the characteristics needed for

autonomy Researchers found that most of the students are somewhere between the

continuum Learners place themselves within the continuum according to the

studies they seek (Benson and Voller, 1997; Sinclair, 2000, cited in Köse, 2006).Nevertheless, to get a better insight into learner autonomy, factors affecting learnerautonomy from previous studies will be addressed in the next section.

1.1.3 Factors affecting learner autonomy

Previous researchers on factors affecting learner autonomy should be reviewedbecause of the purpose of the study There are studies on the factors influencinglearner autonomy such as teachers, learner-centered approach and self-accessresource centers, motivation and attitude, society and education, previous learning,learner belief and learning strategies

With the reference to the teacher‟s role, Little (1995), Tort- Moloney (1997),McGrath (2000), and Smith (2000) also provided evidence that teachers whothemselves were not autonomous language teachers may have a negative influence

on the development of autonomy in their students (reviewed in Sert, 2006)

In the research on building language learning environments to help technologyuniversity students develop English independent learning, Hsu (2005) emphasizedthe role of teachers As for the researcher, learner autonomy or learnerindependence does not mean the teacher become redundant On the contrary,teachers play a key role in creating environment to facilitate and motivate learners

to take responsibility for their learning, develop good habits, and becomeindependent learners

Beside, the main considerations of learner-centered language curricular whichinfluence language learning autonomy were proposed by Brindley (1990), Coleman(1988), the Council of Europe (2001), Hutchison and Waters (1988), Munby (1991),Nunan (1989, 1990), and Wilkins (1976) (reviewed in Sert, 2006) In the samecontext, Tircles (n.d) showed that a foreign language course designed with alearner-centered focus not only helps learners increase their competence in the use

of language but also allows them to develop some strategies on learning how tolearn This, in effect, promotes the development of learner autonomy andencourages students to take responsibility for their own learning and to becomeindependent learners, the two important requirements of university education

Besides, in his research Gates (2000) found that the social aspects of self-accesslearning may play an important role in developing self-directed learning and oralskills than previously considered.

Furthermore, Conttia (2007) conducted a research on the influence of learnermotivation on developing autonomous learning which indicated that learnermotivation and learner autonomy are intertwined in a web of cognitive,psychological and social practices which are dynamic and socially-constructed.Additionally, there are also studies on learner autonomy that could beinfluenced by society and education Littlewood (2000, reviewed in Sert, 2006)concluded in his research that passive classroom behaviors of the Asian studentsrely on the educational contexts provided for them, rather than of any inherentdisposition of the students themselves Researchers, Hodden and Usuki (1999,reviewed in Sert, 2006) concluded that it was not the learners who were innatelypassive, but it was the educational system that created this environment whichdiscouraged learner autonomy

In plus, Ming and Alias (2007) conducted a study on the readiness forautonomy and compared the learning characteristics from Malaysian ESLundergraduates of three republic universities, and they found that the learners heremay have a capacity to be autonomous, but this quality was not revealed probablybecause of the influence of socio-cultural factors Therefore, they proposed that ininterpreting autonomy in different context, socio-cultural factors should also betaken into consideration

In addition, learner autonomy could be influenced by previous learning Otherdescriptive studies in the Turkish context provide clues about how learner autonomycould be influenced by previous learning experiences (Cabolat, 1997; Kekekci,1995; Palfreyman, 2001…) Take for example, the majority of the university levelstudents lacked necessary critical thinking and reflection skills to cope with therequirements of academic life, such as skills of how to plan, conduct and evaluateresearch (Karasar, 1984; Buyukozturk, 1996; Karakul, 1996; Buyukozturk, 1999;Koklu and Buyukozturk, 1999, reveiwed in Sert, 2006)

Last but not least, learner belief is also a factor affecting learner autonomy.Carter (1999) examined the data elicited by the BALLI (Beliefs about LanguageLearning Inventory) questionnaire, looked at the beliefs held by students anddiscussed the validity of these beliefs and how they were likely to facilitate orhinder the shift to a more autonomous mode of language learning Then Carterfound that the presence of these beliefs needed to be understood and analyzedcarefully if these learners were to be helped to achieve their full potential asadvanced foreign language learner.

In short, there are many factors impacting learner autonomy; yet, Vera, Ariasand Buitrago (n.d) show that one of the key factors to encouraging students‟autonomy is the concept of learning strategies which can be defined as steps used bylearners to foster their own learning They help them work on their own with thehelp of the teacher who becomes a facilitator of the process In addition, they arevaluable tools for both teachers and students to maximize and facilitate the languagelearning process The point is emphasized by Knowles (1976, cited in Wenden,1987:9) that “learning is lifelong process”, so learners need “to acquire the skills ofself-directed learning” Furthermore, Wenden (1985, cited in Brown & Douglas,1994:124) was among the first to assert that “learner strategies are the key to learnerautonomy” and “one of the most important goals of language training should be thefacilitating of that autonomy…” She further underlined that “our effort to teachstudents some technical know-how about to tackle a language is well advised”(p.125) Therefore, it is likely that one of the most influential factors affectinglearner autonomy is learning strategies The important issues of language learningstrategies and vocabulary learning strategies will be addressed in the followingsection

1.2 Language learning strategies (LLSs)

This section aims to provide a variety of terminological definitions, andclassification systems of LLSs proposed by different authors

1.2.1 Definition of Language learning strategies (LLSs)

Wenden (1991) defined LLSs as “specific mental steps or operations learnersimplement to learn” (p.63) This is also “one type of learner training content whichshould be included in plans to promote learner autonomy” (p.18) Wenden specifiedmetacognitive function and notably points out the notion of promoting learnerautonomy

Recently, Oxford (2001:166, cited in Miller, 2005) gave an expanded definitionasserting that learning strategies are “operations employed by the learner to aid theacquisition, storage, retrieval and use of information, specific actions taken by thelearner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, moreeffective and more transferable to new situations”

Obviously, different scholars have different definitions of learning strategies.Nevertheless, their common ground seems to be agreement that learning strategiesentail action or thought by the learner to facilitate his/her own language learning Inreviewing the definitions of LLSs, Miller (2005) showed that through the years theemphasis has shifted from merely developing linguistic competence in the targetlanguage toward a greater emphasis on developing learner self-directedness As forBrown (2005), learning strategies have been defined as:

- Mental and/or communicative processes;

- Subconscious or conscious action and techniques for learning: they assist with strong information, forming language rules and understanding; making learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, and more transferable to new situations;

- Applicable to both simple and complex tasks;

1.2.2 Definition of vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs)

VLSs can be considered a subset of general LLSs in second acquisition.O'Malley and Chamot (1990:1) defined learning strategies as “the special thoughts

or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn or retain newinformation” This very broad definition is echoed by Schmitt in defining VLSs.Schmitt (1997:203) said learning is “the process by which information is obtained,stored, retrieved and used therefore VLSs could be any which affect this broadlydefined process”

Brown and Payne (1994) identified five steps in the process of learningvocabulary in a foreign language: (a) having sources for encountering new words,(b) getting a clear image, either visual or auditory or both, of the forms of the newwords, (c) learning the meaning of the words, (d) making a strong memory connectionbetween the forms and the meanings of the words, and (e) using the words.Consequently, all vocabulary learning strategies, to a greater or lesser extent, should berelated to these five steps (Fan, 2003: 223)

1.2.3 Classification of vocabulary learning strategies

Among several taxonomies of VLSs available in the literature, the one proposed

by Schmitt (1997) is highly appreciated because of its suitability for the study; thus,the present study is conducted in the light of Schmitt‟s comprehensive taxonomy.The classification in Schmitt‟s study was based on the two dimensionsdeveloped by Oxford (1990) and Nation (1990) The first dimension was adoptedfrom Oxford systems of learning strategies which contain six groups: social,memory, cognitive, metacognitive, affective and compensation Social strategies(SOC) use interaction with other people to improve language learning Memorystrategies (MEM) relate new material to existing knowledge Cognitive strategies(COG) exhibit the common function of manipulation or transformation of the targetlanguage by the learners Metacognitive strategies (MET) involve in a consciousoverview of the learning process and making decisions about planning, monitoring,

or evaluating the best ways to study Affective strategies exhibit how to manageone‟s emotions in language learning Compensation strategies deal with different

ways of compensating for missing knowledge However, Schmitt (1997) onlyadopted four strategy groups: Social, Memory, Cognitive and Metacognitive.Besides, he added a new category- Determination Strategies (DET) to account forsituations when an individual discovered a new word meaning without resource toanother person‟s expertise The second dimension is the distinction between initialdiscovery of word meanings and remembering words that divide strategies intodiscovery and consolidation groups respectively (Nation, 1990) Taken together,Schmitt‟s taxonomy contains 58 individual strategies characterized by thediscovery-consolidation division and into five groups, namely social, memory,cognitive, metacognitive and determination Appendix 1 presented Schmitt‟s finalversion of taxonomy of VLSs.

1.3 The effect of learner autonomy and language learning strategies on successful language learning

1.3.1 The effect of learner autonomy on successful language learning

More and more research has been done on learner autonomy and independence(Holec, 1981; Benson, 2000) and its importance to a successful learning process.Borrowed from the field of language learning is the notion that learner autonomy iscentral to the learning process and crucial to an effective language learningexperience (Benson, 2000; Esch, 1994; McCall, 1992; Sheerin, 1989, 1997;Sturtridge, 1997, reviewed in Reynard, 2006) Furthermore, learner autonomy canmake learning successful Ellis and Sinclair (1989:1, cited in Benson and Voller,1997:174) tell us that “helping learners take on more responsibility for their ownlearning can be beneficial” because: (1) learning can be more effective whenlearners take control for their own learning because they learn what they are ready

to learn; (2) those learners who are responsible for their own learning can carry onlearning outside the classroom; (3) learners who know about learning strategies cantransfer learning strategies to other subjects

Next, learner autonomy can help unsuccessful learners become successful Thishas been demonstrated in Louis and Pereira‟s study (2003) which was conductedamong remedial EFL students in an EST (English for Science and Technology)

reading course at the Simon Bolivia University in Caracas, Venezuela Most ofthem have failed their regular courses and many suffer from low self-esteem.Thanks to autonomous learning strategies, the students here became more confidentand studied better.

More recently, Dafie (2007) demonstrates that students‟ language proficiencyhas been shown to be influenced by learner autonomy The researcher investigatedthe relationship between learner autonomy and English proficiency in a sample ofnon-English majors in a teacher college in China The study indicated that thestudents‟ English proficiency was significantly and positively related to theirlearner autonomy, and there are no significant differences among the students‟learner autonomy when their English proficiency is not significantly different Butthere are significant differences among the students‟ learner autonomy when theirEnglish proficiency is significant different

To sum up, the studies mentioned above more or less related to the impact oflearner autonomy on making successful learning Although these studies wereconducted in different contexts together with different purposes, what they have incommon is that they tried to find out the best way to develop learner autonomy aswell as learner language learning

Based on these findings, it can be concluded that learner autonomy has atremendous effect on students‟ language proficiency and language learning.Another crucial factor to foster language learning is LLSs This will be focused on

in the next section

1.3.2 The effect of learning strategies on successful and autonomous language learning

Learning strategies affect the success of language learning positively because

“they are tools for active, self-directed involvement, which is essential fordeveloping communicative competence According to Oxford (1990:1) “appropriatelanguage learning strategies result in improved proficiency and greater self-confidence” Since the mid-1970s, close attention has been given to the role ofstrategies in second language learning (Anderson, 1991; Cohen, 1990, 1998;

Hosenfeld, 1979; Macaro, 2001; Naiman, Flohlich & Todesco, 1975; O‟Malley &Chamot, 1990; Oxford, 1990, 1993, 2002; Rubin, 1975; Sterm, 1975; Wenden,

1991, 2002; Wong-Fillmore, 1979) One consistent finding of this research has beenthat learners actively use strategies to accomplish their language learning goals(reviewed in Anderson, 2003) In general, it is agreed that the use of languagelearning strategies is positively related to language proficiency It appears that goodlanguage learners orchestrate and combine their use of particular types of strategies

in effective ways (Chamot & Kupper, 1989; O‟Malley and Chamot, 1990; Oxford,

As discussed above, on the theoretical foundation, LLSs are considered as one

of the key factors affecting learner autonomy and helpful in increasing learnerautonomy, and learner autonomy has a tremendous impact on successful learning

On the practical foundation, some researches have pointed out that there is arelationship between language proficiency and learner autonomy However, therelationship between LLSs, especially VLSs and learner autonomy has not been

addressed Therefore, there is a pressing need for the research on the relationshipbetween VLSs and learner autonomy.

1.4 Summary

This chapter has reviewed related theories on two major issues, learnerautonomy, and LLSs in general and VLSs in particular Concerning the leanerautonomy, definitions of learner autonomy as well as characteristics of autonomouslanguage learners proposed by different researchers have been described andanalyzed In plus, the definition of LLSs, VLSs and classification of LLSs has beenalso presented Moreover, factors affecting learner autonomy, the effect of learnerautonomy on effective learning and the effect of LLSs on successful andautonomous learning from previous studies were also reviewed in this chapter All

of these serve as a basic for an investigation into the relationship between students‟use of VLSs and the learner autonomy in this research This will be furtherpresented in the next chapters

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the discussion of the research design, respondents of thestudy, data gathering instrument, statistical treatment of data in accordance with thespecific problem of the study

2.1 Research questions and descriptions of variables

2.1.1 Research questions

To achieve the aim of the study, three research questions are addressed:

 Which VLSs are frequently used by TNUT first year students?

 How autonomous are the students?

 What is the relationship between the students‟ use of VLSs and the learner autonomy?

in the first semester of the first year Now they have been learning the second eightmodules (from module 8 to module 15) of the same book in the second semester ofthe first year Their present objective in learning English is to pass the final examsfirst, then, study English for Specific Purposes in their second year at university

Table 2.1: Informants’ background information of the survey

Already learnt English before Yes= 100%

Time English learning length Mean= 7.44 years

2.3 Data collection instruments

In order to seek the answers to the research questions, the following datacollection instruments are employed in this study

Questionnaires are used to collect data to find out the respondents‟ backgroundand answer the first research question exploring VLSs frequently used by TNUTfirst year students

Autonomous learner checklist is used to collect data to answer the secondresearch question measuring how autonomous they are

The collected data from the questionnaires and autonomous leaner checklist arecomputed and analyzed to answer the third questions exploring the relationshipbetween the students‟ use of VLSs and the learner autonomy?”

2.3.1 Questionnaire

The questionnaire consisted of two parts The first part is about therespondent‟s background It consists of 12 questions Questions 1 and 2 are used toget information about the students‟ name, age and gender Question 3 is designed tofind out to what extent the students are motivated in learning English Questions 4-8elicit information about the participants‟ English learning background Questions 9-

12 explore the learners‟ awareness and experience of the use of vocabulary learningstrategies to improve their language learning The second part is based on Schmitt‟staxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies (1997) (Appendix 1) Only 24 strategieswere chosen for designing the second part of the questionnaire because of theteaching and learning English context at TNUT and the small scope of the thesis

By this way, 24 vocabulary learning strategies (Appendix 2) are conducted in theform of five point Likert rating scales are follows:

1= Never or almost never true

2= Occasionally true

3= Sometimes true

4= Usually true

5= Always or always almost true

2.3.2 Autonomous learner checklist

According to Ellis (1999) and Sinclair (1999) (cited in Köse, 2006), in order tomake informed decisions about learners‟ learning, learners need to have developed

an awareness of at least four important areas of metacognition:

 Learner awareness referring to learners being aware of themselves as learnersmainly in term of attitudes, belief, motivation, needs and learning styles

 Subject matter awareness of the target language refers to learner awareness

of the language as a system

 Learning process awareness refers to self-assessment, goal setting,monitoring progress, evaluating activities and organizing time and resources

 Social awareness refers to learner awareness of the presence of others in the

classroom and their willingness to cooperate through interaction and

collaboration

Based on the theoretical background noted above as well as the characteristics ofautonomous learner discussed in Table 1.1, the autonomous learner checklist itemswere designed to collect data and to find out how autonomous students were This ispresented in Appendix 3 The followings are the main categories and what areaimed to find under the heading in this study

1 Learner awareness

 I am confident that I can learn

 I want to find out for myself what I have to do to learn better

 I know why I am learning

 I know how I am learning

 I am not affected by bad marks or negative feedbacks

 I think mistakes now will help me learn better later

 It is good for me to find out my own mistakes wherever possible

 I am intrinsically motivated by making progress

2 Subject matter awareness of the target language

 I know what I am learning

 I know my strengths in language learning

 I know my weaknesses in language learning

3 Learning Process awareness

 I can easily set short term goals for my learning

 I can easily set long term goals for my learning

 I can evaluate myself objectively

 I can apply strategies to the learning task and adjust them when necessary

 I can control my learning by using the necessary learning strategies

 I actively seek and use more language learning strategies for my language study

 I think learning activities in pairs or groups are useful, even when the teacherisn‟t listening to my group or watching my work

 I am ready to be proactive in my learning process

4 Social awareness

 I am able to apply the knowledge learned in classroom to the real life outsideclassroom

 I can evaluate my partners objectively

 I ask my partners and teachers for help

All of these items (Appendix 3) were conducted in the form of a five pointLikert scale including:

2.4 Data collection procedures

The data collection procedures could be described as follows:

Step 1: First Vietnamese copies of the questionnaire were handled to the

subjects Next, the questionnaire was administered and carefully explained Thestudents answered the questionnaire in approximately 45 minutes The teacherremained in the classroom until all of them finished answering all the questions andthen collected as soon as the participants had completed them

Step 2: The autonomous learner checklists were distributed to students after

they had returned their questionnaires The checklists were also collected as soon asthe students had finished them

Step 3: The data collected from the questionnaire and autonomous learner

checklist were computed and analyzed to see if there is a relationship between thestudents‟ use of VLSs and the level of autonomy

2.5 Data analysis

The collected data is analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Science(SPSS), version 17.0 The analysis includes two aspects: descriptive analysis andinferential analysis The descriptive one is used to answer the two first questionsand the inferential one is used to answer the third research question

2.5.1 Questionnaire data analysis

The data got from questionnaires are statistically analyzed through thefollowing statistical calculations: (1) percentage is used to demonstrate thebackground information of the students; (2) mean and standard deviation areemployed to present the level of vocabulary learning strategy use The means ofvocabulary strategy usage are interpreted in the following form of range defined byOxford (1990):

3.5- 5.0: high use

2.5-3.4: medium use

1.0- 2.4: low use

2.5.2 Autonomous learner checklist analysis

There are 22 items in the autonomous learner checklist All these items are used

to measure the students‟ learner autonomy degree Each item is scored 1 to 5 rangedfrom “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”, as a result, the higher the score, themore autonomous the learner Therefore, the mean scores on the scale for thechecklist are interpreted as follows:

1-1.4: very low degree

1.5-2.4: low degree

2.5-3.4: medium degree

3.5- 4.4: high degree

4.5- 5: very high degree

The analysis includes two aspects: the description of the mean and standarddeviation of the data in order to discover the results of each specific item of thechecklist to find out the participants‟ learner autonomy

2.5.3 The analysis of the correlation between two variables: the use of

vocabulary learning strategies and learner autonomy

Creswell (2005) points out the following specific procedures the researcher ofexplanatory research should employ:

- Graphing pairs of scores to identify the form of the association (or

relationship) among variables, the direction of the association, and the degree of

association

- Calculating the correlation coefficient statistic, using it for several purposes, displaying it in a matrix, assessing the strength of the association, and employing it in hypothesis testing.

- Extending the analysis beyond the correlational statistical test to advanced

statistics for addressing research questions or hypotheses

Based on Creswell‟s (2005) specific procedures guided above, the form of theassociation between vocabulary learning strategy use scores and the set of learnerautonomy scores were examined by plotting them on a graph using SPSS 17.0 Thisplot provided useful information about the form of the association-whether thescores were linear or curvilinear The direction of the association was identified tocheck whether it was positive or negative with using regression analysis of SPSS17.0 The degree of association was assessed to see if the correlation was strong orweak by looking by looking at the size of coefficient Furthermore, according to Le(2007), the size of coefficient was interpreted as follows:

The correlation coefficient R is used to measure the degree of the relationshipbetween two variables R squares, which indicates the correlations between eachindependent variable and a dependent variable, was employed to show how well adependent variable was explained by an independent variable

Based on Creswell‟s (2005:189) statistical test and statistics frequently used ineducation research and criteria for choosing the statistic for hypothesis testing,Paired- Samples T-test for the inferential analysis was used to determine whetherthe correlation between students‟ use of VLSs and the learner autonomy isstatistically significant or not

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter deals with the results gained from the analysis of data elicited fromeach instrument matching with the three research questions as follows:

3.1 The respondents’ profile

The results of 12 questions relating to students‟ gender and their learningbackground were reported in Appendix 6 Question 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 were mentioned inchapter 2 (Methodology), part 2 (Participants) and Table 2.1 Therefore, the results

of these background questionnaires (question 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12) relating tostudents‟ motivation and awareness of vocabulary learning were focused on in thissection

Firstly, question 3“why do you want to learn English?” revealed that a huge

number students, 95,5% students wanted to learn English for their future job; 61,8% forpassing their exams A small number of students wanted to learn English for theirinterest in language (44,5%) , culture (27,2%) or others (9,1%), such ascommunicating, applying for jobs, listening to top hit English songs…It seems that theparticipants‟ extrinsic motivation in this study is much better than their intrinsic one.Secondly, there was a low percentage of the students (from 10,9% to 38,2%) to

question 4 “What are your strong points in learning English?” indicating that

students had difficulties in identifying their strength in English language learning.However, most of them were easy to find out what areas they would like to improve

in question 5, speaking (83,6%), listening (82,7%), vocabulary (72,7%), grammar(69,1%), reading (65,5% ), writing (64,5%) Hence, it can be said that both languageknowledge and language skills were needed to be improved for students

Thirdly, the students were highly appreciated the ways of vocabulary learning

A large number of students, 92,7% agreed that someone was good at learningvocabulary because they applied appropriate ways of learning, and vice versa theywere bad at learning vocabulary because of their inappropriate ways in question 9.Also, all of them would like instructions for effective ways of learning vocabulary

as a part of English learning in question 12 However, they did not know muchabout different ways of vocabulary learning and they did not very often use their

different ways of learning vocabulary In fact, there was only a percentage from24,5% to 34,5% students knew different ways of vocabulary learning in question 10and one from 43,7% to 50% used them in question 11 It seemed that the fact that36,4% (question 11) of students confessed that they never used different ways ofvocabulary learning was because nearly a half of them , 43,6% (question 10), werenot discussed, introduced or taught of different ways of learning it.

In short, the results of background questionnaire displayed that TNUT first yearstudents had high motivation in learning English and high awareness in learningvocabulary Most of them wanted to improve both their language knowledge andlanguage skills Nevertheless, they neither knew much nor often used different ways

of vocabulary learning Also, their English language competence was relatively low.These characteristics might affect the students‟ responses when they were takingthe vocabulary learning questionnaires and autonomous learner checklist This wasdiscussed in the following sections

3.2 The students’ use of vocabulary learning strategies

As mentioned in the previous chapter, TNUT students‟ use of VLSs wasexamined in each specific strategy Therefore, the report of the results was mainlyfocused on the description of the students‟ use of individual VLSs

Table 3.1: The use of vocabulary learning strategies Number The use of vocabulary learning strategies Mean SD

2 Analyze part of speech or affixes and roots 1.71 1.008

6 Discover new meaning through group work activity 2.02 977

7 Study and practice meaning in group 2.23 1.155

8 Study words with pictorial representation of its meaning 2.51 1.232

Number The use of vocabulary learning strategies Mean SD

11 Connect word to personal experience 2.70 1.238

12 Associate the word with its coordinates 2.44 1.177

16 Use physical action when learning a word 1.80 1.021

17 Connect the word to its synonyms and antonyms 2.46 1.186

23 Use vocabulary section in textbook 3.23 1.122

As can be seen from Table 3.1, the mean of the overall use of vocabularylearning strategies (M= 2.57, SD= 0.493) could be interpreted that the students usedthese strategies at medium level; Figure 3.1 was given below to illustrate the results

of single strategies

Figure 3.1: Vocabulary learning strategy use results

Vocabulary learning strategy use in the questionnaire consisted two parts, inwhich 6 out of 14 strategies of Schmitt‟s taxonomy of vocabulary learningstrategies (1997) were chosen in the first part to find out how student often discover

a new word meaning; 18 strategies out of 44 strategies of Schmitt‟s taxonomy ofvocabulary learning strategies (1997) were chosen to find out how they oftenconsolidate a word

In the first part, the results gained from Figure 3.1 displayed that four strategies,discovering new word meaning by using dictionary, guessing from textual context,asking teacher or classmates for meaning were used more frequently than the others.

As can be seen in Table 3.1 the range of the mean of these strategies was at mediumuse (from 2.85 to 3.09) Only two strategies, analyzing part of speech or affixes(M=1.71; SD= 1.008) and roots and discovering by group work activity (M= 2.02;SD= 0.977) were used at low level It can be interpreted that the students somehowknew to get vocabulary in learning English; however, they should use thesestrategies more frequently, especially, the two strategies used at low frequency

In the second part, it can also be seen clearly in Figure 3.1 that the strategies,repeating the word by writing and keeping vocabulary notebook, had the highestfrequent use in chosen consolidation strategies The results of the mean revealedthat students consolidated a word by keeping a vocabulary notebook (M= 3.84, SD=1.105) and repeating the word by writing (M=3.53, SD= 1.131) when studying athigh rate It means that students probably used these strategies to overcomedifficulties in learning vocabulary This can be easily understood because these twostrategies have a close link with each other when they both require students to have

a more positive attitude towards English learning and English vocabulary learning

as well However, these strategies should be associated with others, such asassociating the word with its coordinates, connecting the word to its synonyms andantonyms, using semantic maps, repeating the word by saying aloud, studying thespelling or the sound of the word… so that these strategies “help learners gain greatbenefit” (Oxford, 1990:145) But, in fact, these suggested strategies were used atmedium level or even low level

Additionally, together with the two most preferred specific strategies at highuse, seven strategies (studying word with pictorial representation of its meaning,connecting a word to a personal experience, remembering part of speech, studyingspelling of a word, studying the sound of a word, repeating the word by saying aloud when studying, using vocabulary section in your textbook) fell between 2.51and 3.35, the level defined as at medium use In total, nine out of eighteen strategies

in consolidation strategies showed that the subjects in this study were relativelystrategic in learning vocabulary However, there were nine strategies (using semanticmaps, M= 1.75, SD= 1.024; using physical action when learning a word, M= 1.80, SD=1.021; imaging word form, M=1.83, SD= 1.091; using cognates in study, M=1.89, SD=1.128; remembering suffixes and roots, M= 2.03, SD= 0.943; studying and practicingmeaning in groups, M= 2.23, SD= 1.155; imaging word‟s meaning, M= 2.31, SD=1.276; associating the word with its coordinates, M= 2.44, SD= 1.177, connecting theword to its synonyms and antonyms, M= 2.46, SD= 1.186) used at low level, four ones

of which (imaging word form, using cognates in study, using physical action whenlearning a word, using semantic maps) were used at the lowest one , as can also be seenclearly in Figure 3.1 According to Schmitt 1997 (p 211), most of these low usestrategies are memory strategies which involve „relating the word to be retained withsome previously learned knowledge, using some form of imagery, or grouping‟ and areclearly shown in his taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies (1997) Therefore, itwas revealed that the respondents confessed they were not very good at memorizingvocabulary The reason for this may be because they did not know much aboutdifferent ways of learning it There were nearly a half of students (43,6%, mentioned inAppendix 6) who confessed that they had never been introduced or taught aboutdifferent ways of learning vocabulary

In summary, among 24 given VLSs, 2 of 24 strategies, repeating the word bywriting (M=3.53; SD=1.131) and keeping vocabulary notebook (M=3.84;SD=1.105) emerged as dominant Besides that, there were nearly a half of the mean(11 out of 24 strategies) fell between 2.51 and 3.35 on a scale of 1 to 5, a rangedefined by Oxford (1990) as medium use, and the same of the mean which fellbetween 1.71 and 2.46 was defined as low use Strategies found at medium use wereusing dictionary; guessing from textual context; asking teacher for a new word;asking classmates for meaning; studying words with pictorial representation of itsmeaning; remembering part of speech; connecting word to personal experience;repeating the word by saying aloud; studying the spelling of a word; studying thesound of a word; using vocabulary section in textbook Strategies found at low one

were analyzing part of speech or affixes and roots; discovering new meaningthrough group work activity; studying and practicing meaning in group; imagingword meaning; imaging word form; associating the word with its coordinates;remembering affixes and roots; using cognates in study; using physical action;connecting the word to its synonyms and antonyms; using semantic maps Theoverall use of these VLSs was found at medium level (M= 2.57, SD= 0.493) It can

be interpreted that VLSs were used a medium frequency by TNUT students.However, there were nearly a half of these strategies used at low level; most of themare memory strategies

3.3 The level of students’ autonomy

As mentioned in Chapter 3, in order to answer the second research questionconcerning with how autonomous the TNUT students are, an autonomous learnerchecklist was designed on the base of the characteristics of autonomous learners andthe four types of awareness used by Ellis (1999) and Sinclair (1999), such asLearner awareness, Subject matter awareness of the target language, Learningprocess awareness, and Social awareness The data collected from the autonomouslearner checklist was computed and analyzed as followed

Table 3.2: Learner autonomy checklist

2 I want to find out for myself what and how I have to do 3.38 878

to learn better

5 I am not affected by bad marks or negative feedbacks 2.23 983

6 I think mistakes now will help me learn better later 3.95 994

7 It is good for me to find out my own mistakes 3.55 884wherever possible

8 I am intrinsically motivated by making progress 3.84 1.146

10 I know my strengths in language learning 3.52 843

11 I know my weakness in language learning 3.62 1.117

12 I can easily set short term goals for my learning 2.46 853

13 I can easily set long term goals for my learning 2.24 856

15 I can apply strategies to the learning task and adjust 2.37 876them when necessary

16 I can control my learning by using the necessary 2.31 1.038learning strategies

17 I actively seek and use more language learning 2.31 926strategies for my language study

18 I think learning activities in pairs or groups are useful, 3.12 1.038even when the teacher isn‟t listening to my group or

watching my work

19 I am ready to be proactive in my learning process 2.16 862

20 I am able to apply the knowledge learned in classroom 3.19 1.129

to the real life outside classroom

21 I can evaluate my partners objectively 2.65 1.104

22 I can ask my partners or teachers for help 3.46 885

Items of learner autonomy as a whole 2.93 160Table 3.2 showed the results of individual items obtained from the checklist andthe results of these items as a whole, which indicated that the degree of students‟autonomy was at medium level (M= 2.93, SD= 0.160) Figure 3.2 below illustratedclearer the results of single items of learner autonomy obtained from the checklist

Figure 3.2: Learner autonomy results

First of all, the category of learner awareness consisting of the first eight itemsrefers to their awareness in terms of attitudes, belief, motivation, needs and learning