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A Study of Metacognitive Strategy Training in Vocabulary Learning of Non-English Majors

Author: LiYan
Tutor: TangYanLing
School: Hunan Normal University
Course: English Language and Literature
Keywords: non-English majors vocabulary learning metacognitive strategy metacognitive strategy training
CLC: H319
Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2010
Downloads: 129
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Abstract

Learning has always been one of the hottest issues under discussion in either pedagogical or psychological fields. In the field of second or foreign language teaching and learning, the research focus in language learning strategies has shifted from the early identification and description to the validation and training of learning strategies. However, there exist some constraints:most researchers in the field of learning strategies have focused on reading strategies as one of the important language skills, and on cognitive strategies as one of the main learning strategies, they paid comparatively little attention to metacognitive strategies and vocabulary learning.Vocabulary is central to language and of critical importance to language learners. Nevertheless, for most non-English majors in Chinese colleges and universities, their vocabulary learning is far from satisfactory though a major part of time is allocated to vocabulary in and after class by both teachers and students. Lack of metacognitive strategies is one of the causes for their insufficient competence in vocabulary learning.In light of the importance of both metacognitive strategies and vocabulary learning, this thesis mainly aims to investigate the following aspects on both theoretical and empirical grounds:the status quo of non-English majors’use of metacognitive strategy in vocabulary learning; whether metacognitive strategy training on vocabulary learning facilitates the use of metacognitive strategies and enhances students’vocabulary proficiency; the relationship between metacognitive strategies and vocabulary proficiency.What learning strategy really is has been difficult to define at an international level with full consensus. And hence Ellis (1994) puts forward eight characteristics of the term. Different views on defining "strategy" end up with different classifications of learning strategies, among which O’Malley and Chamot’s classification appears more justifiable and comprehensive since it demonstrates the inner-relationships among the three types of learning strategies in detail. According to them, learning strategies can be classified into three types: metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies and social/affective strategies. Metacognitive strategies involve executive processes in planning for learning, monitoring one’s comprehension and production, and evaluating how well one has achieved a learning objective. And metacognitive strategies are superior to other strategies and they make control of the choice of the others. Within O’Malley and Chamot’s theoretical framework, planning, monitoring and evaluating strategies are three categories of metacognitive strategy. In addition, one fact should be noted that different metacognitive strategies interact with each other during a learning task and they usually work along with certain cognitive strategies.The subjects are 90 sophomores majoring in Maths from two natural classes in a certain university. Instruments used in this study are:a vocabulary learning metacognitive strategy questionnaire, a vocabulary pre-test and a post-test, semi-structured interviews and learning logs. The training model is the CALLA framework put forward by O’Malley and Chamot. The control class (CC) receives only regular English teaching, but the experimental class (EC) receives a fifteen-week vocabulary learning metacognitive strategy training integrated with regular teaching.The results reveal that before the training, metacognitive strategies are used by non-English majors at different levels and the use of these strategies are not frequent in vocabulary learning; the training facilitates the trained subjects’vocabulary proficiency significantly; the training exerts positive impact on students’use of metacognitive strategies, as for the three categories, planning and monitoring strategies use improve significantly, improvement for evaluating strategies has been achieved, but it’s not significant, thus the use of evaluating strategies needs to be practiced; metacognitive strategies have positive and significant effect on vocabulary learning.The author believes that the study provides implications for both teachers and learners. However, due to the objective conditions and personal academic attainments, there is inevitably some room left to be satisfied. Considering the limitations and implications, some suggestions are offered for future vocabulary teaching and learning and metacognitive strategy study and training.

A Study of Metacognitive Strategy Training in Vocabulary Learning of Non-English Majors

Abstract

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