An Investigation into Vocabulary Learning Strategies used by Senior High School Students in Taiwan.

Abstract

This study investigated the vocabulary learning strategies usedby senior high school students in Taiwan. The aim was (a) to findout the most and the least frequently used strategiesand (b) toidentify the differences in strategy use between good and poor learners. A total of 271 senior high school students in Taiwanparticipated in the study. A vocabulary learning strategiesquestionnaire and a Vocabulary Levels Test were administered tothe participants. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSSversion 10.0 including descriptive statistics and independentsamplest-tests. The results are summarized as follows: (1)cognitive strategies were reported as the most frequently usedstrategies while social strategies were the least frequently used;(2) the most frequently used strategies were mostly related to“rote repetition” or “the form of a word;” (3) the least frequentlyused strategies were related to the use of study aids sociallearning and dictionaries with L2 definitions; (4) there weresignificant differences in strategy use between good and poorlearners. Good learners favored verbal repetition and tended tolearn words in context while poor learners favored writtenrepetition and tended to learn words in isolation.