摘 要

词汇学习在外语学习中都扮演着一个举足轻重的作用。由于国外与国内传统学习方法习惯等差异，国外的研究结果并不能真实反映国内学生词汇学习的实际情况。此外，国内大部分研究是以综合性院校，外语院校非英语专业学生为调查对象，因此笔者针对理工院校的英语专业学生词汇学习的情况进行了研究。本次研究试图回答以下三个问题：1.英语专业学生词汇学习策略使用的总体情况如何？2.英语专业高年级与低年级学生之间使用词汇学习策略有何差异？3.各种词汇学习策略与英语专业学生词汇量的相关性如何？

本文通过问卷等工具，对464名英语专业大学生词汇学习策略的使用情况进行调查。研究结果表明英语专业学生运用各种策略，其中猜测策略，词典策略，记笔记策略运用最频繁；低年级比高年级学生更频繁使用大部分词汇学习策略；大多数词汇学习策略和词汇测试结果呈现较强的相关性，猜测策略，词典策略，记笔记策略和词汇量呈现正相关，重复策略和词汇量呈现负相关。

此次研究对今后的词汇教学有一定的借鉴与启示作用。一方面，学生要加强对元认知策略的使用，注意有计划的学习以及适时复习所学知识。此外，语境能力在学习词汇的深层含义中也有重要作用，学生应在日常生活中尽量多使用新学词汇。另一方面，老师应在课堂上介绍一些词汇学习策略方法，引导学生找到适合自己的策略，并给学生创造更多使用新词的机会，让学生积极参与。

关键词：词汇学习策略；词汇量；元认知策略

Abstract

Vocabulary learning has always been indispensable for foreign language learning. Due to the differences between foreign and domestic traditional learning methods and habits, foreign research results can’t truly reflect the actual situation of domestic students' vocabulary learning. Also, because most previous studies in China are based on Non-English Majors in comprehensive colleges and foreign language colleges, the author conducted a study on the vocabulary learning of English Majors in the college of technology. This study attempts to answer the three questions: 1. What vocabulary learning strategies are used by English majors? 2. What are the differences between higher-grade and lower-grade English Majors in using vocabulary learning strategies? 3. What is the relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and English Majors' vocabulary size?

The study uses questionnaires to investigate 464 English majors about vocabulary learning strategies. The results show that English majors use various strategies, among which guessing strategies, dictionary strategies and note -taking strategies are the most frequently used; many vocabulary learning strategies do not present significant distinction between higher-grade and lower-grade students; guessing strategies, dictionary strategies, note-taking strategies, and vocabulary are positively correlated. There is a negative correlation between repetition strategy and vocabulary size.

This study can be used as a reference for future vocabulary teaching and learning. For students, they should strengthen the use of meta-cognitive strategies, pay attention to planned learning, and timely review of what they have learned. Also, contextual ability is crucial in learning the deep meaning of vocabulary. Students should use new vocabulary as much as possible in daily life. In addition, teachers can introduce some vocabulary learning strategies, create more opportunities for students to use new words, properly adjust the classroom atmosphere, and encourage students to participate actively.

Key words: vocabulary learning strategies; vocabulary size; meta-cognitive strategies

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1. Research Background 1

1.2. Significance of the Present Study 2

1.3. Overall Structure of the Thesis 4

2. Literature Review 5

2.1. Learning Strategies 5

2.2. Vocabulary Learning Strategies 8

3. Methodology 13

3.1. Research Questions 13

3.2. Participants 13

3.3. Instruments 14

3.4. Research Procedures 16

4. Results and Discussion 18

4.1. Overview of Vocabulary Learning Strategies Use 18

4.2. Differences of VLS Use between Higher-grade and lower-grade English Majors 20

4.3. Correlation between VLS and vocabulary size 22

5. Conclusion 26

5.1. Major Findings 26

5.2. Pedagogical Implications 27

5.3. Limitations and Recommendations 28

References 30

Acknowledgements 32

Appendix 33

Appendix A: Vocabulary Size Test 33

Appendix B: VLS Questionnaire 34

A Study of the Relationship between Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Vocabulary Acquisition among English Majors

Introduction

This part introduces the study, which consists of three aspects, research background、significance and overall structure of the thesis.

Research Background

In the field of second and foreign language learning, vocabulary is the cornerstone for sequencing language acquisition. Words are “basic building blocks of language “(Brown, 1994:365). In the 1970s, as the Communicative Language Teaching Approach emerged and was recognized by a great number of linguists, vocabulary learning was given increasing attention. What comes to the front is that quantity and quality of vocabulary are of great importance for language learners. Quit a few scholars have studied the learning strategies and some strategies' influence on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Prominent learning strategies include Memory Strategy, Cognitive Strategy, Compensation Strategy, Meta-cognitive Strategy, Affective Strategy, Social Strategy (Oxford 1990). Over the past decades, some scholars have shifted their attention to the vocabulary learning strategies, which exclusively explore the vocabulary learning secret and try to work out the effective approaches to learn vocabulary. Ahmed (1989) views vocabulary learning strategies from two perspectives. From macro-strategies, he argues that they are general approaches to learn vocabulary; from micro-strategies, they are more detailed, specific learner behaviors. Schmitt (1997) proposes “vocabulary learning strategies could be any behaviors, steps, techniques, thoughts and mental process which affect this rather broadly-defined process.” Many scholars have studied the effects of various vocabulary learning strategies in word acquisition and language outcomes (Gu and Johnson 1996; Yamamoto 2014; Mehrabian, N. amp; Salehi). While much research on VLS has been conducted both abroad and at home, in the field, there remain some vacancies for the comparative analysis of vocabulary learning strategies and the size of vocabulary among English majors in the university of science and technology. The author also wants to find out the relevance between VLS and vocabulary size and analyze what leads to the differences in language learning.

Significance of the Present Study

The learners of a foreign language often contribute their poor performance to the deficiency of vocabulary. Vocabulary is the threshold of opening a door to a foreign language. Harmer (2002) ever claimed that if language structure makes up the skeleton of the language, then it is vocabulary that complements the crucial organs and the flesh. Krashen amp; Terrel (1983) stated vocabulary is of prime concern in the second language setting, which plays a dominant role in classroom success. It achieves the first goal of language that makes rudimental communication possible. Therefore, various learning methods are always employed and practiced by language learners in the process of mastering new words. The study of language learning strategies has been an area of immense interest for quite some time. From my point of view, effective and efficient vocabulary learning strategies enable English learners to get twice the result with half the effort, which requires further and complementary research.

Though much research on vocabulary learning strategies is implemented abroad and in China in the way of case studies and experimental studies, there are still some limitations and vacancy of the previous studies. Nevertheless, a great part of the research carried out in foreign countries targeted the participants whose first language or the second language is affiliated to the Indo-European language family, like English and French. On the condition that Chinese belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, those western VLS research can’t provide us with the real situation of vocabulary learning strategies used by Chinese students and their conclusion and suggestions do not apply to the vocabulary learning of Chinese equivalents. As a result, much research on vocabulary learning strategies is also performed in China.

Gu amp; Johnson’s (1996) VLS research targeting Chinese non-English majors at Beijing Normal University is one of the initial studies concerned with Chinese participants. It analyzed the vocabulary learning strategies used by Chinese university learners of English and established the relationship between the strategies and their performance in some English exams and tests. With the precedent of Gu’s research, an increasing number of studies have been carried out to reveal more comprehensive findings. Some of the studies pay attention to the general pattern of VLS utilized by Chinese English learners. Besides, some of them contribute to the research of differences between the higher-grade students and the lower-grade ones. Another group of scholars concentrates on the specific strategy and its impact on learners’ performance.

After reviewing previous studies about vocabulary learning strategies in China, the author found that the majority of the research participants derive from non-English majors in comprehensive university, foreign language school, even high school. On the contrary, VLS studies targeting English majors are seldom implemented, needless to say, English majors in the universities of technology. Given the higher requirement of the English level, English majors are much more in need of efficient and effective learning strategies, in the present study, the vocabulary learning strategies. What’s more, the universities of technology endow their distinct features to English major teaching and learning. Thus in this view, the author would like to deal with the VLS used by English majors in the university of science and technology.

Through investigation, the research is designed to find out the vocabulary learning strategies used by the four-grade English majors at the Wuhan University of Technology. As for this research, the author will collect data from four-grade students through a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, aiming to analyze vocabulary learning strategies used by English learners and their correlation with the size of students’ vocabulary. Specifically, my purpose is to answer these questions:

1. What vocabulary learning strategies are employed by English majors?
2. What are the differences in the use of vocabulary learning strategies between the lower-grade students and the higher-grade students?
3. How do learning strategies impact students' vocabulary size?

Overall Structure of the Thesis

The present thesis is composed of five chapters: