A STUDY ON SPECIALIZED VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGY EMPLOYED BY ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH FACULTY
------

GRADUATION PAPER
TOPIC:

A STUDY ON SPECIALIZED VOCABULARY LEARNING
STRATEGY EMPLOYED BY ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS
AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY

HANOI - 2021


DECLARATION

I herewith formally declare that I have written the submitted Graduation
independently. I did not use any outside support except for the quoted literature,and
other sources mentioned at the end of this paper.
Hanoi, 2021

Phan Thi Thu Huong

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs. Nguyen
Thi Thuy Hanh, lecturer of Thuong Mai University for her valuable guidance,
encouragement, correction, helpful suggestions, and detailed comments from the
preparation to the completion of this thesis.

In the process of researching for the argument, I have also received a lot of
supports from the lecturers in Thuong Mai University as well as my friends,
classmates, and family.
Despite the efforts, the paper cannot avoid shortcomings. I am looking forward
to hearingthe suggestions and advice from the teachers to improve this paper.
Kind regards,

Phan Thi Thu Huong

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INDEX
DECLARATION......................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................ii
INDEX..................................................................................................................... iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................v
LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND CHARTS....................................................vi
LIST CHAPTER 1 : OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY...........................................1
1.1 . Rationale........................................................................................................... 1
1.2 . Previous studies................................................................................................2
1.3 . Aims of the study.............................................................................................4
1.4 . Research Subjects............................................................................................4
1.5 . Scope of the study............................................................................................4
1.6 . Research methodology.....................................................................................4
1.7. Organization of the study.................................................................................5
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................6
2.1. Learning style preferences (LSP)....................................................................6
2.1.1. Definition........................................................................................................6
2.1.2. Classification..................................................................................................6

2.1.3. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences.................................................10
2.1.4. Advantages of understanding individual LSP...........................................11
2.2. Vocabulary learning strategies (VLS)...........................................................11
2.2.1. Definition......................................................................................................11
2.2.2. Classification................................................................................................13
2.2.3. Advantages of using appropriate VLS.......................................................19
2.3. The distinction between LSP and VLS..........................................................19
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH FINDINGS..............................................................21
3.1. Data analysis...................................................................................................21
3.1.1. Student's awareness of vocabulary learning strategies.............................21
3.1.2. Strategies used for discovery a new word's meaning................................23
3.1.3. Strategies used for consolidation a word in memory................................26

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3.1.4. Overall strategies use of the six categories of strategies............................32
3.2. Implications.....................................................................................................33
3.2.1. The need of vocabulary learning strategy training...................................33
3.2.2. Learner responsibility.................................................................................33
3.2.3. Dictionary strategies....................................................................................34
3.2.4. Teaching and learning in context................................................................34
3.2.5. Memory strategies.......................................................................................35
3.2.6. Analysis of word features............................................................................35
3.2.7. Use of vocabulary.........................................................................................35
CHAPTER 4. RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS........................37
4.1 . Solutions for teachers....................................................................................37
4.1.1. Teaches how to make a study plan..............................................................37
4.1.2. Teaching English self-study methods..........................................................37
4.1.3 Teaching how to learn...................................................................................37

4.2 . Solutions for student......................................................................................38
4.3. For University.................................................................................................39
4.4. Organizations of Youth Union - Student Union............................................39
CONCLUSION......................................................................................................41
REFERENCES
APPENDIX

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ALTE:

Association of Language Testers in Europe

CEFR:

Common European Framework of Reference for languages

FLD:

Foreign Language Department.

IAAL:

International Association of Applied Linguistics

TMU:

Thuong Mai University

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LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND CHARTS
Table 2.1. Definition of language learning strategies...............................................12
Table 2.2. Structured and Unstructured Approach to Vocabulary Learning by
Sanaoui (1995)........................................................................................................14
Table 2.3. Gu and Johnson's classification of VLS..................................................15
Table 2.4. Schmitt's taxonomy of VLS....................................................................17
Figure 1: Student's awareness of the importance of vocabulary learning................21
Table 3.1. Descriptive statistics of students' use of Determination strategies..........23
Table 3.2: Descriptive statistics of students' use of Social strategies.......................25
Table 3.3: Descriptive statistics of students' use of Social strategies (Consolidation)
................................................................................................................................. 26
Table 3.4: Descriptive statistics of students' use of Memory strategies..................28
Table 3.5: Descriptive statistics of students' use of Cognitive strategies.................30

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LIST CHAPTER 1 : OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
1.1 . Rationale
Vocabulary is essential for people's correspondence
and language learning, and it plays a critical part in the
development of a second language. Wilkins (Wilkins,
1972: 111) stated that "without grammar little can be
conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed".
As a consequence, we cannot argue that language
acquisition capabilities such as listening, speaking,

reading, and writing are difficult to attain without
vocabulary.As a consequence, researching vocabulary
learning techniques is an important phase towards learning
a second language.
The study of vocabulary acquisition gained little
attention in the 1950s and 1960s. Fortunately, since the
1980s, vocabulary acquisition has been researched more
thoroughly. Researchers, educationalists, and teachers are
also getting more involved in it. Many of them, both at
home and abroad, have expressed their opinions on the
importance of vocabulary learning. As Decarrico (2001:
285) stated that "Although vocabulary has not always been
recognized as a priority in language teaching, interest in its
role in second language learning has grown rapidly in
recent years and specialists now emphasize the need for a
systematic and principled approach to vocabulary by both
the teacher and the learner". Or Nguyen Huyen (2004: 1)
compared "If a language could be considered as a house,
then its grammar could be considered as cement and its
vocabulary could be figuratively compared to bricks. To

1


build a complete house, not only cement but also bricks
are needed. Without bricks, no house can be built, even
when plenty of high quality cement is available."
Therefore, to be a fluent English user, learner must not
only obtain a steady knowledge of English grammar but
also have a diverse amount of English vocabulary.

English is a required course for students in Vietnam
in general and at my college, Thuong Mai University in
particular. However, there is a significant difference
between the students' English abilities and the syllabus's
criteria. As a result, vocabulary has been a significant
barrier to English learning, and their rate of vocabulary
improvement

has

been

sluggish.Furthermore,

many

English teachers believe that their students should learn
vocabulary on their own.Any new term can be looked up
in an English-Vietnamese dictionary, which is labelled
with a phonetic symbol and its Vietnamese meaning, so
there is no need to spend time teaching vocabulary. In
addition, some methods that are still being used in colleges
are no longer reasonable. On the other hand, as a student, I
realized that traditional vocabulary-learning methods were
ineffective. And if some of them have worked tirelessly to
learn new vocabulary, the results have been dissatisfying. I
felt it important to provide them with effective learning
methods for learning English words.
Those considerations inspire me to conduct research
on the English vocabulary learning strategies used by

English major students at Thuong Mai University.
1.2 . Previous studies
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The strategies employed by language learners had
drawn more and more attention among teachers and
researchers alike. It was generally agreed that successful
language learners were likely to apply strategies
appropriate to their own language learning needs. There
did exist some research into vocabulary learning strategies
in the west.
In a recent study conducted by West (1980), it was
suggested that learning through incidental learning was
effective when students knew how to take advantage of it.
Meara (1980) thinks there were words that made up a
language; considerable evidence showed that a learner's
vocabulary size

highly predicted his general language

ability. Cohen and Aphek (1981) investigated seventeen
English-speaking students learning Hebrew, among whom
nine were beginners and six were intermediate level and
two were advanced learners. Brown & Palinscar (1982)
hold that the strategies which were connected with the
learning process, planning for learning, management of
comprehension

or

production in the process of

vocabulary learning and self-evaluation after the learning
activities were classified as the Metacognitive strategies.
Oxford (1989) regarded

learning strategies as external

activities and gave such a definition “language learning
strategies were behaviors or actions which learners used to
make language learning more successful, self-directed and
enjoyable.”
Then Ehrman & Oxford (1990) considered language
learning strategies as the “often conscious” behaviors that
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learners used to facilitate their learning. Brown& Perry
(1991) said that learners could be taught explicitly as for
how to enlarge their vocabulary in all appropriate
vocabulary learning strategies training rather than simply
let them learn

vocabulary in their own way. Studies

indicated that using a dictionary could aid both
comprehension and improve

vocabulary

acquisition

(Knight, 1994). Though individual vocabulary learning
strategies

had been increasingly researched (Avila &

Sadoski, 1996), only a few researchers had investigated
vocabulary-learning strategies as a whole.
Gu & Johnson (1996) applied two dimensions of
vocabulary learning strategies for their
cognitive and cognitive

strategies,

study: metawhich involved

guessing, consulting a dictionary, note-taking, rehearsal,
encoding and activating, all of which could be further
subcategorized. The total number of strategies in their
study totaled up to Wenden (1998) gave estimation about
the importance of

knowledge of vocabulary in text

Comprehension. He stated that it was estimated that if
over 10 percent of the words in passage were beyond
one’s knowledge, the reader would get frustrated and
tended to give up.

Laufer (2003) conducted three experiments to
examine the two important ways used in vocabulary
learning: reading and productive activities. Nassaji (2003)
studies the use of strategies and knowledge sources in
second language lexical inference as well as their
relationship with inferential success.

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The studies at home and abroad described different
aspects of vocabulary learning strategies and all the
researches show that there was still a great shortage in this
field; What’s more, participants of these studies were
mostly college students and there were few studies on
excellent English postgraduates. So a study into this group
of English learners was in urgent need to devote much
time and energy to vocabulary learning but achieve little
satisfactory effect so that they might be greatly enlightened
to get twice the result with half the effort in the course of
learning vocabulary.
Besides, the research was intended to explore and
discover the relationship between vocabulary learning
strategies and level of vocabulary.
1.3 . Aims of the study
The goal of the study is not only to help students
have more effective methods of learning English
specialized vocabulary, but also to improve English
teaching and learning at the University of Commerce.
Therefore, the specific purpose of that research is to find

out what problems students face when learning vocabulary
and to research which methods are effective for students.
Hence, reasonable recommendations will be made to
achieve the original goal of the study.
1.4 . Research Subjects

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The research subject of this study is to reseach what
techniques are widely used in English specialized
vocabulary learning at Thuong Mai University and its
results. The study also offers solutions for students and
teachers to obtain the best learning and studying
specialized vocabulary.
1.5 . Scope of the study
A survey

questionnaire

is

implemented

with

questions related to the title of this study. The participants
are given a questionnaire and complete one directly or via
the internet. Then I will select their answers for analyzing
data in my study. The study is conducted for 200 English

major students of the English faculty at Thuong Mai
University selected at random from K53N2, K54N2,
K55N2,K56N2 during the second term of school year
2020-2021 from 22/02/2021 to 16/04/2021.
1.6 . Research methodology
To study the student's approach to learning
specialized English vocabulary and get accurate results,
the researcher uses two methods, including quantitative
method and qualitative method. The interviewers received
a questionnaire consisting of a list of questions, after
answering the questionnaires, the researcher would collect
them and analyze the initial database. Quantitative
methods will help researchers easily calculate, analyze and
evaluate sources of information and data. It will then come
up with reliable metrics to be displayed in the form of

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charts or diagrams. In the qualitative method, the
researcher uses small tests to help exploit more
information and databases. Qualitative methods are used to
analyze, synthesize, and explain students' problems. All
databases are collected from reliable sources via internet,
website and books.
1.7. Organization of the study
The study is divided into four chapters. Each chapter
deals with an important aspect of the study.
Chapter 1 is the introduction of the study, which
includes the rationale, aim, research questions, scope,

significance the study as well as the methods and structure
of the study.
Chapter 2 presents the information about some basis
concepts related to language learning strategies and
vocabulary
classifications

learning
of

strategies.

language

In

addition,

the

learning

strategies

and

vocabulary learning strategies are reviewed to set up the
theoretical framework for the investigation in the next
chapter.
Chapter 3 is the main research result. These include

data analysis and implication.
Chapter 4 is recommendations and suggestions to
improve teacher teaching and students' English vocabulary
learning.

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CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Learning style preferences (LSP)
2.1.1. Definition
Historically, some researchers have found the
definition of learning style. From the end of the last
century, a definition given by Keefe (1979) (cited by
Logan & Thomas, 2002) had been adopted by leading
researchers in the field.
"Composite of characteristics cognitive, affective
and psychological factors that serve as relatively stable
indicators of how a learner perceives, interacts and
responds to the environment"
Keefe (1979)
By making this clear, Keefe mainly focused on
learners' preferences in a specific learning environment
and not on the types of information that learners must be
aware of.
Among student learning styles, Dunn and Dunn
(1992) defined learning styles as the way in which " each

learner begins to concentrate on, process and remember
new and difficult information". In this definition,
researchers, unlike Keefe, emphasized "new and difficult
information"; However, in practice, learners still had their
own way of learning when exposed to "old" information.

9


In 1995, Felder & Henriques, continuing on this
topic, came up with another definition of the style of
learning, which was how "an individual characteristically
acquires, retains and retrieves information".
Of the definitions mentioned above, this one is the
most comprehensive and does not focus too much on the
learning environment or the type of information perceived.
Therefore, in this paper, researchers will rely on this
definition as a basis for research.
2.1.2. Classification
As mentioned above, style of study is a field that
receives a lot of attention from different researchers;
Therefore, several classifications of learning styles have
been raised so far. Despite widespread acceptance of the
concept of learning styles in educational psychology,
however, there is disagreement over how to classify and
measure it.
According to Kolb et al. (1979), there are four basic
learning styles:
Converger: who wants to solve a problem and who
relies heavily upon hypothetically deductive reasoning to

focus on specific problems.

10


Diverger:

who

solves

problems

by

viewing

situations from many perspectives and who relies heavily
upon brain storming and generation of ideas.
Assimilator: who solves problems by inductive
reasoning and ability to create the theoretical models.
Accommodator: who solves problems by carrying
out plans and experiments and adapting to specific
intermediate circumstances.
In this classification, the most important criterion is
problem solving to classify learning styles, in which
learners with different learning styles are those who have
different ways of gathering reasons and facts. Show
experiments to come to conclusions. However, students are
not only learners who need to solve problems, but also

people who face other activities such as acquiring new
knowledge or revisiting old information.
Gregorc and Butler (1984) categorized learning
styles into four models: Concrete, Abstract, Sequential and
Random. They supposed that every one possesses some
natural abilities in each of the models above; however,
most people have more natural abilities in one of the
models. Concrete and Abstract are perceptual qualities
while Sequential and Random are ordering abilities. There
are four combinations of the strongest perceptual and
ordering ability in each person:

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Concrete Sequential learners prefer to learn by
physical senses; specifically, their learning preferences are
computers, demonstration or guided practice. Long
lectures might not be suitable to them.
Concrete Random learners like learning through
simulations, games or independent study. Their favorite
learning channels are intuition and trials-and- errors.
Structured lessons may make them feel bored and easily
get distracted.
Abstract Sequential learners prefer to learn by their
intellect. They like lectures, reading and slide shows
whereas they dislike hands-on projects. Abstract Random
learners prefer to learn by emotions. Short lectures, media
and the arts are their learning preferences while structured
assignments and drills are out of their favor.

In his book Strategies for Success: A Practical Guide
to Learning English (2004), Brown also listed his style of
learning that had more to do with reading. He clearly noted
that speed should be considered one of the important
learning styles and could be divided into reflexive (slower
readers) and impulsive (people who think and read faster).
Reflection learners liked all the words of the reading
passage before going to the next lesson, while learning the
next,

they

liked

to

make

guesses

without

fully

understanding. Therefore, Brown came to the conclusion
that when reading the same long text, reflex people were
more likely to be more cautious and slower than impulsive
ones.

12

Among the various classifications, this theory was
quite new and focused on the relationship between
learning and reading. In practice, however, he focused only
on the learner's reading speed, which was not important
enough to be the main factor in categorizing different
reading styles.
Research done by Reid (1987) has shown that
learners have three main perceptual learning channels, also
known as three basic learning styles:
"Visual learning – reading, studying charts
Auditory learning – listening to lectures, audiotapes
Kinesthetic learning - experiential learning, that is,
total physical involvement with a learning situation."
In more detail, according to Reid, visual learners
learn by sight because they can only do their best with
textbooks containing graphs, pictures, and charts while
auditory learners learn by reading and drafting, and
comment on what has been read. The auditory learners will
also be more easily confused by sounds. The third group of
learners is those with aesthetic abilities who like to be able
to move around while studying. They might find it difficult
to sit still for long periods of time and they really need
practical experience to fully understand the lesson's
content.

13

Referring to these three types of learning, Reid stated
that visual learners could think with images and absorbed
knowledge best when looking at visual images such as
diagrams, drawings, and textbooks. illustration, video, flip
chart. These people have the ability to pay attention to
details in order to record information. A drawing will be
more deeply understood by the perceptual learner than by
others. So in learning, they need to observe the teacher's
body language and facial expressions to understand the
underlying values. While there are those who record
information visually, there are those who are more agile
when it comes to listening. Information they can acquire
such as a verbal lecture, radio, or radio. They analyze
sounds, voices, pitches and different nuances, thereby
understanding the communicator's information. The last
group of learning style preferences, kinesthetic learners,
learns best through a hands-on approach by touching or
experiencing the physical world around them.
Dunn & Dunn (2003) also shared the similar
classification of learning style preferences to Reid's work
when they raised another theory in the field consisting of
three basic learning styles:
Visual - seeing learning style involves the use of seen
or

observed

things,

including

pictures,

diagrams,

demonstrations, displays, handouts, films, flip-chart, etc.
Auditory hearing learning style involves the transfer
of information through listening: to the spoken word, of
self or others, of sounds and noises.

14


Kinesthetic/Tactile - doing learning involves physical
experience - touching, feeling, holding, doing, and
practical hands-on experiences.
Sarasin (2006) and Pritchard (2009) applied the same
view in measuring style preference, presented in their book
named Learning Style Perspectives: Impact in the
Classroom and Ways of Learning: Learning Theories and
Learning Styles in the Classroom respectively.
In

these

above-mentioned

ways

of

learning

classification, Reid's classification is the clearest and most
coherent one since it relates to our recognition and is based
on different learning materials and exercises that
instructors and understudies can utilize in any learning
preparation. In addition, this classification has been
utilized by numerous analysts when they carried out
investigate considers relating to learning inclinations.
Particularly, Fu (2009) assumed that the only and most
common way of distinguishing learning styles is based on
the sense. As a result, the category by Reid (1987) and
other analysts sharing the same classification with Reid
will serve as the base of the investigation.
2.1.3. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences
Numerous of us are commonplace with three
common categories in which individuals learn: visual
learners, sound-related learners, and kinesthetic learners.
Past

these

three

common

categories,

numerous

speculations of and approaches toward human potential
have been created. Among them is the hypothesis of
numerous insightful, created by Gardner, H. (2010).

15


Gardner's early work in brain research and afterward in
human cognition and human potential is driven to the
advancement of the beginning six insightful. Nowadays
there are nine insightful and the plausibility of others may
inevitably extend the list. These shrewd relate to a person's
one-of-a-kind fitness set of capabilities and ways they
might incline toward to illustrate mental capacities.
Particularly, they are:
1. Verbal-linguistic intelligence (well-developed
verbal skills and sensitivity to the sounds, meanings and
rhythms of words)
2. Logical-mathematical intelligence (ability to think
conceptually and abstractly, and capacity to discern logical
and numerical patterns)
3. Spatial-visual intelligence (capacity to think in
images and pictures, to visualize accurately and abstractly)
4. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (ability to control
one's body movements and to handle objects skillfully)
5. Musical intelligence (ability to produce and
appreciate rhythm, pitch and timber)
6. Interpersonal intelligence (capacity to detect and
respond appropriately to the moods, motivations and

desires of others)
7. Intrapersonal intelligence (capacity to be selfaware and in tune with inner feelings, values, beliefs and
thinking processes)
8. Naturalist intelligence (ability to recognize and
categorize plants, animals and other objects in nature)
9. Existential intelligence (capacity to tackle deep
questions about human existence such as "What is the
meaning of life?" or "Why do we die?"

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2.1.4. Advantages of understanding individual LSP
Concurring to Al-Hebaishi (2012), variety and
differing qualities are inescapable highlights of human
creatures; in this manner, individuals are more distinctive
than they are alike. He included that classrooms are where
these contrasts appear to be most clear. Learners have
diverse needs, capacities, abilities, and styles. Among
those, their learning styles play a critical calculate deciding
the approaches that they lean toward to get information.
Thus, it is critical that both instructors and learners got to
way better get it and appreciate these person learning
fashion inclinations in arrange to instruct and learn more
viably.
With respect to the advantage of an understanding
person learning fashion inclinations to instructors,
Stebbins (1995) contended that instructors tend to instruct
the way they were instructed, so in some cases, clashes
may emerge due to a jumble between the teacher's

instructing style and learner's learning styles. These
clashes likely cause negative results on both instructors
and understudies in classrooms. Subsequently, she stated
that instructors ought to know the common learning
profiles of the full course, which might empower them to
organize and utilize educating materials appropriately.
Concerning the advantage to understudies, Reid
(1995) expressed that raising students' mindfulness of their
claim learning style inclinations can make them not as it
were more arranged for learning but moreover more
explanatory around their learning styles and the learning
techniques they ought to make utilize of to fit their styles.
In expansion, he proposed that creating an understanding

17


of learning styles "enable students to take control of their
learning and to maximize their potential for learning"
(p.14).
2.2. Vocabulary learning strategies (VLS)
2.2.1. Definition
Since

lexicon

learning

methodologies

are

a

subcategory of dialect learning procedures, it is imperative
that dialect learning procedures ought to be characterized
to begin with so that the definition of lexicon learning
methodologies can be better-clarified. A number of
definitions of dialect learning techniques have been
expressed so distant. The table underneath appears
chronologically how the term advanced through the history
of etymology inquiring about.
Table 2.1. Definition of language learning strategies
Authors
Rubin (1975)
Bialystok
(1978)
Cohen (1987)
Rubin (1987)

What are LLS?
Techniques or devices
Methods/conscious

What are LLS for?
To acquire knowledge
For exploiting available
information to improve

enterprises

Mental operations
Set of operations, steps, plans,
routines of what learners do

competence in L2
To accomplish learning tasks
To facilitate the obtaining,
storage, retrieval, and use of
information, to regulate learning

Language learning behaviors
Wenden (1987)

Oxford (1990)

learners actually engage in,
strategic knowledge about

To learn and regulate L2 learning

learning
Specific actions, behaviors,

To improve their progress in

steps or techniques that

developing second language

students intentionally use

skills
With respect to the definition of a language's lexicon
learning techniques Cameron (2001) characterized lexicon

18