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A Study on Vocabulary Learning Strategies of English in Senior High Schools

Author: ZhaoYanBin
Tutor: WangBing
School: Liaoning Normal University
Course: English Education
Keywords: learning strategies vocabulary learning strategies meta-cognitive strategies cognitive strategies social/affective strategies
CLC: G633.41
Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2010
Downloads: 507
Quote: 1
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Abstract

If we compare language structure to a framework of the language, vocabulary constitutes the crucial organ and flesh and blood (Hamer, 1990:158). Vocabulary plays a basic role in English study. One of the matters that senior high school students are faced with in English learning is vocabulary.For most of the students vocabulary learning is a time- consuming and low- efficiency task. So the research of VLS is of vital importance. Learners’VLS refer to specific approaches, methods, behavior, steps, or techniques that the learners use to improve their progress in acquiring the target language. The study of learning strategies inspires researchers’interest in VL, which gives rise to the issue of VLS. A lot of research on VLS has been made abroad and in China. It covers the classification of the VLS, the description of strategies and strategies of particular groups of learners. For example, language learning strategies can be grouped into three categories: meta-cognitive, cognitive and social/affective strategies. And cognitive strategies' dissertation">meta-cognitive strategies control the use of the others.The thesis attempts to explore VLS adopted by senior high students of China and the employments of VLS in English learning. Firstly it indicates the necessity and the research question. Then it states some important theories and researches about VLS abroad and at home. Thirdly the author employs a questionnaire, vocabulary test, interview and trainings of VLS to make a survey on 92 senior high school students. By using SPSS, the findings are as follows:1. The senior high school students do use many different kinds of strategies. Of the three varieties of learning strategies, cognitive strategies are the most frequently used, followed by meta-cognitive strategies and social/affective strategies. Of all the cognitive strategies, rote learning, dictionary use and note-taking are most frequently used. In the four strategies under meta-cognitive strategies, selective attention is the most frequently used strategy. While under cognitive strategies the most frequently used one is rote learning, the least frequently used one is imagery.2. Vocabulary learning strategies training has important influences on the vocabulary size scores. For example, students’beliefs about vocabulary leaning after the vocabulary learning strategy training have changed clearly, and the students are more confident in their vocabulary leaning. The average scores of the vocabulary learning strategy employed by the students before and after the vocabulary learning strategy training are different. We find that after vocabulary learning strategy training cognitive strategies are still the most frequently used, followed by meta-cognitive strategies and social/affective strategies. In the four strategies under meta-cognitive strategies, selective attention is still the most frequently used strategy. Of the cognitive strategies the most frequently used one is guessing, the least frequently used one is activation. According to the compared information about categories of strategies before and after vocabulary learning strategy training. We can conclude that vocabulary learning strategy training has strong effects on the vocabulary learning strategies used by the students. Almost all the average scores of each category of strategies have increased except rote learning and dictionary use. That is to say, the vocabulary learning strategies used by the students can be trained. In fact, good results have been achieved. The students have applied more and more learning strategies in their vocabulary learning. In addition, the average scores of vocabulary test after the vocabulary learning strategy training are higher than before. It indicates that the vocabulary learning strategies training has a positive effect on the students’vocabulary test scores.Then how will teachers help the students learn vocabulary efficiently? How will teachers teach vocabulary with the vocabulary learning strategies? The author tends to discuss and analyses these questions. Based on these issues, the study sets a strategy- based instruction, which inserts the VLS into the normal English teaching class. As we know, only by encouraging the students to use effective VLS constantly can they form the ability and habit of self-study.

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