论文题目：
Taking a Closer Look at Vocabulary Learning Strategies: A Case Study of Three Highly Proficient Chinese Learners of English




Abstract


This study investigated what vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) were deployed by three highly proficient Chinese learners of English, why these learners used such VLS, and which VLS they perceived as being most beneficial for their English vocabulary learning.

Data were obtained from three highly proficient Chinese learners of English who were enrolled in master’s degree courses pertinent to applied linguistics in English-speaking countries. Three instruments were employed, namely a vocabulary learning journal, a think-aloud protocol and a semi-structured interview. Data collected from the three instruments were coded. Patterns of strategy use emerging from the data were analyzed.

Results showed that the participants each reported using a range of VLS. The common reasons that the participants gave for using these strategies included: personal interest, the relevance of learning resources, the importance of productive use, the convenience of executing strategies, the reliability of learning resources, textual clues for inferencing, and dictionary explanations, the confidence derived from noting down information related to new vocabulary, and the importance of being flexible when using strategies. The participants varied in their choice of what constituted the most beneficial strategy to their vocabulary acquisition.


In addition, some pedagogical implications and limitations of the current study were noted.





Conclusions

 

Some conclusions can be drawn from the current study.

 

(1)     The participants each used a wide range of VLS. They demonstrated some similarities in deploying VLS. For example, they all used repetition strategies to commit vocabulary to memory. In addition, they also demonstrated some differences in strategy use. For example, they used different means to encounter new vocabulary.

 

(2) Metacognitive strategies were frequently deployed. More specifically, the participants planned the ways to encounter new vocabulary, organized their note-taking strategies, and evaluated their learning outcomes by giving themselves a vocabulary test or authoring a blog, among other things.

 

(3) The participants personalized their vocabulary learning. They did not feel obliged to remember every vocabulary item they noted down. Rather, they decided for themselves what items to commit to memory. In addition, their different perceptions of what strategies worked best for them might have helped personalize their vocabulary learning endeavors.

 

(4) The participants demonstrated varying degrees of flexibility in strategy use. They did not seem to have rigid plans for reviewing their vocabulary notes. Rather, they appeared flexible in executing review strategies and were well aware of such flexibility.

 

(5) The participants used theirintuition in determining what vocabulary items to learn. While relying on their intuition might not have always given them accurate information regarding how frequently a lexical item was used or how useful it was, it prevented them from falling into the trap of trying to remember every lexical item indiscriminately.

 

(6) The participants placed great value on the productive use of vocabulary. This was reflected in the note-taking strategies and the consolidation strategies. More specifically, one of the participants reported to make a note of vocabulary that she wished to use productively. Further, the participants consolidated their retention of newly learnt vocabulary by interacting with others and/or writing in English.

 

(7) The participants attached great importance to the convenience of using dictionaries and taking notes. They reported to rely heavily on online dictionaries because they found it more convenient to discover meanings of vocabulary items using such dictionaries than their hard-copy counterparts. Moreover, they reported to use a Word file to record the vocabulary they encountered online because they found it convenient to copy and paste items into their Word file.

 

(8) The participants used guessing strategies first and consulted dictionaries subsequently. They seemed to almost always use inferencing strategies (based on context or word formation) when encountering an unfamiliar English lexical item. Subsequently, they seemed to almost always confirm their guessing by consulting a dictionary (whether it was a bilingual or monolingual dictionary).

 

(9) The participants enlisted the help of other people in learning vocabulary. More specifically, they not only encountered new vocabulary, but also consolidated their retention of previously learnt vocabulary through talking to native English speakers or other highly proficient English learners.

 

(10) The computer and the Internet were used frequently to assist learning. The participants used online learning resources, online dictionaries, Word file to record new vocabulary, and MSN as well as blogs to consolidate their retention of previously learnt vocabulary.