A STUDY ON SPECIALIZED VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR FRESHMEN AT THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY

ABSTRACT
English terms in the field of economics are becoming increasingly
important these days. If you consider learning English as building a house, the
vocabulary improvement is exactly the sustainable foundation for that house. It
could be due to the importance of these fields in life, or it could simply be that
economic English is a valuable tool for one’s success. However, for some
reasons, vocabulary learning strategies are not used effectively. The target of
this study is to investigate the current situation of using these strategies as well
as the learning reality of English Faculty’s students – Thuong Mai University
with English specialized words in the field of economy, with the aim to broaden
vocabulary and develop language skills of students.
Firstly, the author attempted to review the definitions of a specialized
vocabulary as well as the definitions of a specialized vocabulary learning
strategy, aiming at providing comprehensive views of related theories for
readers. Furthermore, an attempt was made to clarify the roles of the
vocabulary in practical working situations, the consequences of students
encountering misunderstandings with specialized English, and the difficulties
or impacts of employing strategies to learn new specialized vocabularies.
This research included a ten-question survey, in addition to using
quantitative and qualitative methods, which was conducted with the goal of
highlighting the specialized vocabulary learning situation, students’ abilities,
and the frequency of using strategies by English Faculty participants. Finally,
some suggestions will be given to help students deal with these problems and
improve effectiveness of vocabulary learning strategies. They were expected to
be an updated and worthy material for further studies as well.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude toward teachers
at Faculty of English – Thuong Mai University for supporting me to finish this
graduation thesis.
I would like to acknowledge my gratefulness to my instructor Mrs.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Hanh who passionately guided, assisted and encouraged me
during the time I conduct this study research. It was she who first inspired and
interested me in the field of vocabulary learning strategies and in her gentle
way, she has acted as an excellent supervisor from the very beginning when I
started working with her up to the present. Without her guidance, assistance
and encouragement, I could not complete my thesis on time effectively. I have
been looking forward to receiving her comments and feedbacks to complete
the thesis.
My appreciation is also extended to all 100 freshmen English-majored
students in K56N English Faculty. Those who took part in the survey, also
helped me to collect and summarized the data to give research findings.
My last words would go to Thuong Mai University as an active learning
environment where I have chance to receive knowledge and experience life as a
university student. In the university, I have been approached professional
training and educating that is required by modern society.
Yours sincerely,
Nguyen Hoang Linh

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
SILL:
EFL:
ESL:
VLS:
EPI:
NNES:
NES:
GST:
DET:
SOC:
MEM:
COG:
MET:
HF:
LF:
GSL:
LLSs:

Strategy Inventory for Language Learning
English as Foreign Language
English as Source Language
Vocabulary Learning Strategies
English Proficiency Index
Non – Native English Speakers
Native English Speaker
Graduate School of Theology
Determination Strategy
Social Strategy
Memory Strategy

Cognitive Strategy
Meta – cognitive Strategy
High – Frequency
Low – Frequency
General Service List
Language Learning Strategies

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

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CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
1.1. Rationale of the study
“A man with a scant vocabulary will almost certainly be a weak thinker.
The richer and more copious one’s vocabulary and the greater one’s awareness
of fine distinctions and subtle nuances of meaning, the more fertile and precise
is likely to be one’s thinking. Knowledge of things and knowledge of the words
for them grow together. If you do not know the words, you can hardly know the
thing.” – (Henry Hazlitt, “Thinking as a Science”)
We live in a multilingual world. English serves as the lingua franca for
education, trade and employment, and is an essential skill for anyone wanting
to succeed professionally or academically in the century. English offers
enormous opportunities, and language policy rightly focuses on how to give
more equitable access to high levels of English language proficiency so that
these opportunities can be inclusive rather than exclusive, open to all
socioeconomic groups. As observed from the reality, although a lot of other
languages have been acceded, English remains the highly – using level and its
role is not deniable. That is the reason why an increasing number of people
want to learn English and take advantage of it to become global.

D. A. Wilkins (1972, p.111) stated that “while without grammar very
little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. The
saying sounds very familiar with a lot of people. However, the researcher still
wants to repeat it once more to confirm the importance of vocabulary in any
language. Besides, “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 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.” (Huyen, 2004, p.1). This means that to be a
competent English communicator, one must acquire a good knowledge of

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English grammar and have a rich amount of English vocabulary as well, which
is considered as an essential element of language.
“Acquisition depends crucially on the input being comprehensible. And
comprehensibility is dependent directly on the ability to recognize the meaning
of key elements in the utterance. Thus, acquisition will not take place without
comprehension of vocabulary”.
Krashen and Terrell (1983 as cited by Youngkyu Kim,
2006)
Obviously vocabulary learning plays an important in language
acquisition. Inadequate vocabulary could lead to learners’ difficulties in
language reception and production. Thus, learners have to use vocabulary
learning strategy (VLS) in order to broaden their vocabulary in an effective
way.
In another regard, the economy’s growth, which can be defined as
skyrocketing, is undeniable. This development necessitates a greater focus on
this subject; in simpler terms, the functions of both English and economy

should be taken into consideration if people would like to keep up with global
trends. Countries with higher English language proficiency have better
economies, with higher per capita income and a higher quality of life for their
residents. The 2013 EPI (English Proficiency Index) provides as well several
headline – grabbing correlations between English proficiency, economic and
social development. As the report notes: “Historically, speaking a second
language, or more specifically, speaking a highly valued second language, was a
marker of the social and economic elite… However, globalization, urbanization,
and the Internet have dramatically changed the role of English in the past 20
years. Today, English proficiency is increasingly becoming a basic skill needed
for the entire workforce, in the same way that literacy has been transformed in
the last two centuries from an elite privilege into a basic requirement for
informed citizenship”.
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The question now is “How could one master economic vocabularies in
particular and English in general?”. As seen in the educational environment, in
specific at Thuong Mai University, in order to complete the study schedule and
fulfill all requirements of the actual working environment, students at the
English Faculty must complete several lessons focusing on economic fields as
well as the practice of analyzing and applying this specialized knowledge.
Thanks to these courses, students have not only strengthened their
understanding of trade practices in English, allowing them to become more
confident, but they have also discovered topics that they are interested in for
further study. The author discovered an interest in studying specialized
vocabularies, specifically economic ones, through real and in – education
observations, hence would like to conduct this research to highlight the
difficulties faced by students, the most suitable approach for a particular
circumstance, and to make the process of specialized vocabulary learning

easier. Above all, the author is passionate about English terms that have to do
with economics, so this study is a way to help one understand and master
them. The knowledge gained, as well as the attempt and effort put forward in
this report, are expected to assist students at Thuong Mai University’s English
Faculty in becoming more confident and competent in mastering the new
economic terms.
1.2. Previous study
Learning and using the English specialized vocabularies is a significant
challenge for learners and even English users because it necessitates
specialized expertise and realistic connections in order to grasp, “embrace”,
and master all of the unique meanings defined by these terms as quickly as
possible. English specialized terms related to economics are often more
difficult to deal with; it is not only learning of each single word, but also
understanding the target language’s culture and specialized knowledge.

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In fact, there have not been many previous studies that could mention
exactly what one is looking for: economic vocabulary learning strategies or
anything similar, so the author has referred to some related materials which
are not really the same but similar and useful for this research. What one might
learn from them is not only the theoretical information or the findings but also
recommendations which their owners submitted. At last, the author highly
appreciates the similarities and the differences among the previous researches
and materials because of their value for one’s findings, contributing to make
the research become more multidimensional.
Numerous studies on vocabulary learning strategies were conducted by
foreign researchers. Hatch and Brown (1995) identified five steps in
vocabulary learning: a clear image, learning, source, a strong memory and

using. Lawson and Hogben (1996) investigated how Australian college
students research the meaning of new Italian terms, discovering that they often
repeat the spellings and meanings of the new words and that only a few
students use context to guess the new words’ potential meanings. Furthermore,
students who used dictionaries frequently in their vocabulary research
performed better on vocabulary tests than those who did not use dictionaries,
according to Luppescu and Day (1993).
Kafipour and Naveh (2011) investigated the impact of vocabulary
learning strategies on reading comprehension and discovered that certain
strategies make a difference. Nosidlak (2013) examined the vocabulary
learning strategies employed by eminent English learners, as well as the
relationship between language competence and specific vocabulary strategies.
Hence, students with limited vocabulary can save time and effort in their
English studies by using the best vocabulary learning strategies.
Language learning strategies research has been prominent for more than
four decades, with several renowned writers such as Rebecca L. Oxford
(1990), Norbert Schmitt (1997), Michael Lessard – Clouston (1998),
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Scharle & Szabó (2000), and others. They let readers sense, pick, and apply
the most suitable stratagems for their improvement, on the other hand, they
provided and clarified all relevant theories in detail so that learners could
cover the substance of subjects and detect their shortage.
“Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL)” is one of the most
popular researches submitting the useful strategies in learning languages, in
general and learning vocabulary in particular of Rebecca L. Oxford’s one
(1990). According to ScienceDirect Magazine this research “is the most
frequently employed instrument in language learning strategy research”. It
comes in two versions: version 5.1 is for native English speakers learning a

foreign language, and the remaining version – 7.0 is for non – native English
speakers learning English (ESL or EFL students). Readers may self – evaluate
their ability and efficiency in learning new vocabularies using qualitative
methods and a wide range of linguistic assessments. Throughout this work, the
analysis, compilation, and discussion have all contributed to not only
supporting and proving the given claims, but also diversifying and enriching
the available studies. In addition, readers can also benefit from the
introduction of the taxonomy into two strategy groups: direct strategies
(including memory, cognitive, compensation strategies), and indirect strategies
(including meta-cognitive, affective and social strategies) as well as the
frequency of using each (the most common one is compensation strategies). This
implementation of these methods demonstrated their importance in the field
of linguistics, and it even became a benchmark for subsequent research. In
summary, the Oxford (1990) study is fairly detailed and highly applicable to
language learning, teaching, and researching language, as well as its
components such as vocabulary.
In China, Gu and Johnson (1996) studied the English vocabulary
learning strategies used by Chinese university students and further probed into
the relation between strategies and performances, discovering that two meta –
cognitive strategies (selective attention and self – initiation) help the students
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most in vocabulary learning while strategies like visual repetition of new
vocabulary hinder the students’ vocabulary study. In terms of vocabulary
learning, Ding (2006) made a distinction between good and poor learners,
pointing out that accurate use of strategies matters most while frequent use of
strategies does not. Fan (2003) conducted a survey and discovered that
excellent vocabulary learning strategies should be introduced to mediocre
vocabulary learners, and that all students should be encouraged to create their

own effective vocabulary learning strategies. Wu (2011) presented a
systematic study of vocabulary learning strategies used by non – English
majors in colleges and discovered why weak learners struggle to use
vocabulary learning strategies effectively and efficiently, arguing that English
learners need more knowledge of acceptable vocabulary learning strategies
under clear guidance.
It would be a mistake without including Norbert Schmitt (1997) and his
study “Using a Word Knowledge Framework to Research Vocabulary” while
conducting a study on language and vocabulary learning strategies. If ones wants to
rely on their own system to deal with vocabulary acquisition or specialized
vocabulary learning only, Norbert Schmitt suggests that they had better “embrace”
the taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (taxonomy of VLS).
Vocabulary Learning
Strategies

Discovery Strategies

Determination
Strategies

Consolidating Strategies

Social
Strategies
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Memory
Strategies

Cognitive

Metacognitive

Strategies

Strategies

1.1. Schmitt’s Taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (1997)
(Source: Implementing Learning Strategies Instruction (2018))

The distinctions between two well-known authors’ taxonomies – Rebecca L.
Oxford (1990) and Norbert Schmitt (1997) – did not confuse learners, but rather
helped them completely understand and apply what they had learned. Norbert
Schmitt’s research has become one of the leading studies in the field of linguistics
due to the worldwide reputation and acceptance of these five strategies. Besides, the
the potential implications were presented in a separate section, with the aim of
assisting readers in following the required language learning, teaching, or working
orientations.
In 2003, Rebecca L. Oxford, the author of SILL, attempted to expand on her
previous research in other dimensions. She focused on not only “Strategies” but also
“Styles” in her study of “Language Learning Styles and Strategies: An Overview”
(2003). To put it another way, she put a lot of focus on “two key variables affecting
language learning: styles – the general approaches to learning a language; and
strategies – the specific behaviors or thoughts learners use to enhance their language
learning”. Readers could easily find the various dimensions in learning styles
(sensory preferences, personality types, desired degree of generality, and biological
differences) as well as different learning strategies (collected from ancient Greek to
now) in this study, thereby, assisting them in determining which ones were most
suitable for them. By research methods like the study in 1990, the meticulous

explanation as well as the comprehensive approach, the information shown in this
study is highly valuable as learning languages in general and learning vocabularies in
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particular. “English Learning Styles and Strategies: An Overview” (2003), in
particular, contained a section emphasizing the consequences and applicability in
teaching and learning English as a second language, which previous research omitted.
In brief, the author wanted learners to concentrate on “Learning Styles” and
“Learning Strategies” while they are in the language learning or even language
instructing phase.
Schmitt (1997) reached three general conclusions in an effort to
specifically interpret the results of general learning research and vocabulary
learning studies, which are respectively as follows: first, the significance of
vocabulary learning by most students prompt them to employ more strategies
for this aspect of language learning than others; second, the students overuse
some mechanical strategies such as memorization, note-taking, and repetition
in contrast to deep processing strategies such as guessing, imagery, and the
keyword technique; and finally, they use a variety of strategies which is one of
the vital characteristics of an effective learner who takes the initiative to
manage her/his vocabulary learning. Schmitt also emphasized the significance
of drawing students' attention to the frequency of target words when they are
being advised on vocabulary learning strategies. Following this realization,
Nation (1990) and Schmitt (2000) advocated for the effective inclusion of
high-frequency words during the phase of vocabulary teaching and learning
since they primarily necessitate strategies for analysis and consolidation, while
low-frequency words would be encountered incidentally in reading or
listening, requiring, consequently, methods for deciding their meanings, such as
guessing from context and using word bits, must be employed (p.133). These
assumptions, however, have not been confirmed by empirical evidence.

Additionally, the way by which an individual employs the strategy is
contingent upon her/his cognitive approach to learning and her/his attitude
toward that task Kolb (1984). O’Malley et al. (1985), for instance, found that
Asian students are reluctant to use strategies for imagery and grouping to learn
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vocabulary, yet they outperformed the experimental groups merely applying
rote memorization strategies. Schmitt (1997) surveyed 600 Japanese students
to resolve the categorization of students based on the strategies used and
discovered that using a dictionary and repetition strategies are more requested
and applied by learners who regard them as being most useful strategies for
vocabulary learning and consider imagery as well as semantic grouping
strategies to be the least useful. There was also some evidence that more
advanced learners used more nuanced and meaning – focused strategies than
less advanced learners.
Gu and Johnson (1996) conducted a study to validate both the
metacognitive strategies of self – initiation and selective attention as important
predictors of English proficiency in order to support the proposition regarding
the relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and learners’ language
proficiency and vocabulary knowledge. Furthermore, an examination of the
results on this topic revealed a positive relationship between several forms of
vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary breadth awareness, such as
contextual note – taking, guessing, paying attention to word forming, skillful
use of dictionaries, contextual encoding, and activation of newly learned words.
The efforts have also been made to demonstrate how using specific forms of
vocabulary learning strategies can aid in vocabulary acquisition. The results of
those studies can be interpreted as evidence that learners who make an effort
to practice newly acquired vocabulary items outside of the classroom are more
effective in acquiring vocabulary (Kojic-Sabo & Lightbown, 1999; Moir &

Nation, 2002).
On the other hand, several studies have focused on the factors that are
strongly influenced that lead students to choose a specific vocabulary learning
strategy. For example, Fan (2003) supposed that learners used strategies they
perceived to be more effective more often than those they perceived as less
useful. Another stream of research has looked at learning vocabulary strategies
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in the context of the classroom. In specific, Grenfell and Harris (1999)
provide insights into the efficacy of introducing awareness – raising exercises
to familiarize and alert learners to meta-cognitive strategies, directing them to
be more likely to use new vocabulary mnemonic strategies that were found to
be beneficial not only for learning vocabulary but also for enhancing test
results.
Mizumoto and Takeuchi (2009) discovered that successful teaching of
strategies can also change the learners’ regular use of mnemonic strategies, which
were positively linked to participants’ language efficiency, which is consistent with
previous studies and supports the importance of instruction of vocabulary learning
strategies in the classroom. Reviewing the literature, several studies have been
conducted to provide valuable insight into the relationship between vocabulary
learning methods and both vocabulary breadth and vocabulary depth skills such as
Gu & Johnson (1996); Kojic-Sabo & Lightbown (1999); Moir & Nation (2002);
Nation (2001); Qian (2002); Schmitt (2008, 2010). Nassaji (2006), for instance,
attempted to demonstrate the relationship between vocabulary knowledge depth and
lexical inference strategies (as known as strategies for inferring the meaning of
unknown words). He discovered that learners with a greater depth of vocabulary
information were often more effective in using lexical inference strategies.
Using strategies for learning vocabularies as a focal point, Bei Zhang
(2011) with “aims on the study of the strategies used by Chinese English major

students in vocabulary learning, the differences between effective and less
effective learners in using vocabulary learning strategies”, completed a thesis
named “A Study of the Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by Chinese
Students” for Kristianstad University. Aside from providing theoretical
background and demonstrating variations between individuals in vocabulary
learning, the author went into practical strategies such as guessing strategy
and learning words in context, semantic network use, bilingual dictionary use,
repetition and persistence, and word classification. Furthermore, in order to be
more realistic, the author spent an entire chapter conducting a survey in which
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35 participants were asked to complete a questionnaire with the aim of
ascertaining the true potential of students, detect problems, and make
suggestions. In addition to the study, the author provided a space for debate in
which he compared the similarities and discrepancies between his results and
those of others in order to provide a balanced view for students.
Bei Zhang (2011) used Chinese as the source language for his research, and
because of the contextual and sense similarities between Vietnamese and Chinese,
the obtained results are so specific and relevant that English – Vietnamese studies,
such as this one, prefer a lot. In general, the assessment and discussion of these
strategies are adequate and noteworthy; however, the author has not demonstrated
the reality of how often study participants use these strategies, and the number of 35
participants is insufficient to be representative for all.
Michael Lessard – Clouston (1998) articulated his intention of showing
and making clear “the participants’ strategies in and approaches to specialized
vocabulary learning” in his study “Specialized Vocabulary Learning and Use
in Theology”, which was more comprehensive than the preceding ones due to
concentrating on specialized vocabulary learning strategies only instead of all
factors in language learning. By providing “participants a potentially rich

environment in which to learn this vocabulary”, the author focused on dealing
with a variety of different fields such as neological vocabulary, technical, as
well as some special ones with some useful strategies. The author also
highlighted the connection between socialization and academic literacy of
specialized terms. The unique aspect of this research is how Michael Lessard –
Clouston “examines the specialized vocabulary of theology and describes non
– native English speakers (NNES) and native English speaker (NES)
participants’ learning and use of theological vocabulary during their early
socialization into a graduate school of theology (GST)”, as a result, the author
could highlight the gaps and problems encountered by non-native English
learners before providing them with instructions to correct their errors based
on the performance of native English speakers. Nonetheless, Michael Lessard
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– Clouston’s methods are much less applicable to learning languages like
Vietnamese, Chinese, or Japanese since these languages are more emotional
and contextual.
Tia Arsita Desiana (2014) conducted a report on economic vocabulary
acquisitions of students in the economic international program, titled
“Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Students in Economic International
Program”, which also served as a graduation requirement. This is one of the
closest studies to this subject since it focused on economic learning strategies
rather than language learning strategies or vocabulary learning strategies.
Since the center was focused solely on one aspect, it was able to provide the
closest observation as well as the most successful solutions for readers to
clearly understand and adopt. Several hypotheses of language learning,
vocabulary learning, and grammar learning have all been illuminated from an
economic standpoint. Analyzing five of Norbert Schmitt’s renowned strategies
for learning economic vocabularies – including Determination Strategy

(DET), Memory Strategy (MEM), Social Strategy (SOC), Cognitive Strategy
(COG), and Meta – cognitive Strategy (MET) – on a fundamental basis, the
Indonesian author made it detailed in their use and the frequency with which
economic international program students employed them. In addition to the
survey’s actual results, the author developed a discussion that can speculate
the explanations for students’ choices, the mistakes made when using these
strategies, and proposed solutions for them to progress in economic
vocabulary learning. After all, the author concluded that learners prefer to use
strategies that are fast, realistic, easy, and effective, such as context – based
meaning guessing, group learning, and so on, rather than time – consuming
ones.
While not as professional as the preceding research, a study titled
“Students’ Strategies in Learning English Specialized Vocabulary”
conducted by Le Pham Hoai Phuong and Thach Thi Hai Huyen (2017) as a
thesis to be submitted to the English Department, Hue University of Foreign
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Languages, was able to assist the writer in diversifying the source of theory and
findings.
This research also focused on English major’s students of a university
with the aim of highlighting current strategies, their frequency in language
learning processes, the student’s ability to use them, and their implications for
real – world use. First and foremost, the writers emphasized the importance of
vocabulary, as well as specialized vocabulary, in language learning. Next, using
Norbert Schmitt’s taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS), this two
Vietnamese authors conducted a survey with specialized vocabulary and 100
English Department students. Finally, they presented their findings among
strategies, demonstrating that the use of time – consuming strategies was
significantly lower than that of time – saving strategies. For this reason, they

concluded that participants appeared to care more about the outcome than the
efficiency; in other words, they often found it difficult to obtain proper and
effective strategies in a variety of contexts. The authors hoped that this study
would help readers partially diagnose their problems and fully understand all
types of learning strategies as well as the factors influencing their selection,
usage, and performance.
To conclude, previous studies which were referenced by the author all
aim at providing strategies to help learners increase their interest in language
learning in general and vocabulary in particular. In reality, reviewing previous
studies is a necessary step in completing this thesis. Furthermore, consulting
these useful studies led to helping learners find their own well – suited
strategies, enriching the content of the analysis, and diversifying this material
for referencing and learning.
1.3. Aims of the study
This study mainly focused on 2 purposes:
- The first goal is to examine the actual situation of learning specialized
vocabularies as well as learning English and to get closer to a detailed
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understanding of vocabulary of students at Thuong Mai University’s English
Faculty.
- The second is to recommend effective, appropriate suggestions and
strategies for each group of students and learners in order to enhance their
ability to learn, store, and use basic English in general and specialized English
in particular.
Furthermore, the author wished to create a helpful document for
learning and furthering one's studies, as well as to publish appropriate steps
that can assist all students in the English Faculty in increasing lexical diversity,
word choice accuracy, and avoiding grammar mistakes.

1.4. Research subjects
The main research subject of this study is the specialized vocabulary
learning strategies. Specifically, there are two research questions as follows:
1. How is the real situation in learning new specialized vocabularies in
English of freshmen at English Faculty, Thuong Mai University?
2. What are efficient recommendations and suggestions to enhance
vocabulary learning ability for freshmen and the meaning with further studies as
well?
1.5. Scope of the study
In terms of research space, this study was carried out at English Faculty –
Thuong Mai University. In other words, this thesis focuses on freshmen of
English Faculty – Thuong Mai University only as the research object serving to
research the subject of “economic vocabulary learning strategies”. Specifically,
one hundred English Faculty’s freshmen had contributed to complete this
research by fulfilling the survey.
In terms of research time, two month is the time for this study to be
done, in specific, from February 22th to April 16th. In which, the first ten days
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is the time to refer to the previous study and finish the outline. The author
reviewed and did the first chapter: Introduction. The next week, the author
used to summarize the related theories and publicize the questionnaire. The
data analysis was done in the next 2 weeks from March 16th to April 5th and
the remaining time was spent finishing the last chapter in this thesis.
In another aspect, this paper aims at working with the strategies with
which students employ to learn English specialized vocabulary in the field of
economy. Because of the diversified aspects of vocabulary but the time
constraint, the author also limited the scope of the subject which was studied.
Accordingly, just the ones in the economic field are worked with in the process

of study and acquisition.
1.6. Research methodology
There are several methods with which a research could be done, each of
them, actually, is appropriate with different topics. This study was conducted
with quantitative methodology and qualitative methodology.
Quantitative methodology emphasizes quantitative measurements and
statistical; questionnaires and surveys or by manipulating pre – existing
statistical data with computational techniques; mathematical, or numerical
analysis of data gathered by polls. Quantitative analysis is concerned with
collecting numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people or
explaining a specific phenomenon.
Initially, this study used the questionnaire approach, which included
knowledge collection, investigation, and interviews, to gather and classify
participants’ actual skill in learning technical vocabulary in economic texts. Ten
questions in the questionnaire, in particular, served as an instrument, a tool, to
assess English Faculty students’ actual comprehension and use of language
learning strategies proposed by Oxford (1990) and other researchers. The
first questions asked participants to include details about their actual
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experience interacting with new specialized vocabulary. The next three
questions allowed them to make a choice from a list of choices relevant to the
theory of the strategies and difficulties in vocabulary learning. The remaining
tasks were all centered on determining the frequency at which six Oxford
strategies, as well as various activities within them, were used.
The term “qualitative approach” refers to a market research technique
that focuses on gathering information through open – ended and
conversational communication. This approach considers not only “what”
people think, but also “why” they think that way. For instance, find a

convenience store that wants to increase its customer base. According to a
systematic observation, the number of men visiting this store is higher. An in –
depth interview of potential customers in the group is one tool for determining
why women were not visiting the shop.
For example, after successfully interviewing female consumers, visiting
nearby stores and malls, and choosing them by random sampling, it was
discovered that the store did not have enough products for women, so fewer
women visited the store, which could only be understood by directly engaging
with them and knowing why they didn’t visit the store because there were
more male products than female products.
In the Introduction and Theory Framework sections, as well as open –
ended questionnaires and participant observation in the survey, synthesizing
and evaluating were used. Using the synthesizing – analyzing approach entails
spending time examining previous research, theses, and related documents in
order to enhance the ability to analyze, select, compile, and conclude the
required materials. This move assists researchers in accumulating their own
expertise while also providing them with a clear path to carry out their own
studies.

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Interview: This is a method of gathering knowledge through dialogue
and interaction between two people. This can be combined with a
questionnaire to provide enough numerical and literal detail.
In reality, both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in the
questionnaire that was used to work with 100 participants. Although a
quantitative approach was used to deal with choice questions, statistics, logic,
and an analytical position, the qualitative method would be used for data
interpretation and synthesis with the selected data. The questionnaire’s

mixture of theoretical, realistic, open – ended, and option questions is intended
to provide an objective assessment of students’ abilities as well as the
relationship between their practical behaviors and their competence.
1.7. Organization of the study
To settle the identified research subject and scope, this thesis consists of:
Chapter I: Overview of the study
Chapter II: Literature review
Chapter III: Research findings
Chapter IV: Recommendations and suggestions

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Definitions of specialized vocabulary and vocabulary learning
strategy
2.1.1. Definitions of specialized vocabulary
Despite the fact that vocabulary is a sub – skill of a language, it plays a
critical role in language learning and teaching. “When we speak of a person’s
vocabulary, we mean the words he or she knows and is able to use” (Nandy 1994,
p.1). It is widely acknowledged that vocabulary is at the core of language
learning. According to Rubin and Thompson (1994, p. 79), “One cannot speak,
understand, read or write a foreign language without knowing a lot of words.
Therefore, vocabulary learning is at the heart of mastering a foreign language”.
Furthermore, Taylor (1992, p.30) notes that “Vocabulary pervades all
language learners or language teachers do in an English language class,
regardless of the competence or language point being practiced”. It is commonly
stated that understanding any language is impossible without knowledge of
vocabulary, whether in the spoken or written forms (Hall, 2000; Schmitt 2000;
Hill, 1997). Language learners with a broad and diverse vocabulary are

thought to develop their listening, reading, speaking, writing, and critical
thinking skills (Smith 1998, p. xv). Language learners with a limited
vocabulary, on the other hand, are likely to be hampered in their educational
development. That is to say, vocabulary is an important predictor of both
language learning and language capacity.

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There are several definitions of vocabulary, as well as specialized ones,
all of which wish to make an impressive mark for their own topic so that
readers could feel at ease using it in the vocabulary learning process. According
to Wikipedia: “A vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a person’s
language. A vocabulary, usually developed with people’s age, serves as a useful
and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring
an extensive vocabulary is one of the largest challenges in learning a second
language”. On the whole, vocabulary is regarded as a personal asset that plays
an important role in one's communication, performance, and life, and it can be
expanded on a daily basis. Each field has its own collection of vocabularies,
known as specialized vocabulary, and people have a diverse set of vocabularies
in the fields with which they are familiar. Specialized vocabulary could be
appeared under a lot of different labels as “terminological words” (Becka,
1972), “specialised lexis” (Baker, 1988), “terminological” (Peruzzo, 2014),
“domain – specific glossaries” (Perinan – Pascual, 2015) or “discipline specific
vocabulary” (Woodward – Kron, 2018).
According to Cowan (1974), specialized terms are

“context –

independent words which occur with high frequency across discipline”. This

description differed from the others in terms of “context”, but it was highly
acceptable because it was one of the first to stress frequency of usage. Trimble
appeared to broaden the prior definition in 1985 to include common terms
that “occur with specific meanings in the scientific and technical field”. Trimble
completely removed the word “context” from his statement in order to focus on
the scope of terms used.
“Specialized vocabularies are those vocabularies used in certain fields” Rael Dornfest (2003). There are several fields that include specialized
terminology, but according to the author, the economic, legal, and medical fields
are the ones that come to mind first when discussing specialized vocabulary.

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Being more detailed, Nation (2001) described specialized vocabulary as
“recognized specific to a particular topic, field or discipline”. If the text is a
human, then specialized vocabulary would be seen as the heart, he said, and if
people do not understand what the special terms mean, it would be difficult for
them to understand the whole text. Seven years later, in 2008, Nation noted
that specialized or technical vocabulary can begin with high-frequency (HF) or
low-frequency (LF) terms from the General Service List (GSL), and in academia,
he emphasized the value of acquiring specialized vocabulary to “attain
academic literacy and to become part of their chosen academic discourse
communities”.
The preceding definitions all tend to generalize the function and extent
of occurrence of specialized vocabulary, stressing the existence of specific
disciplines where learning of these terms is beneficial for enhancing academic
literacy in general. In other words, acquiring specialized vocabulary is
important for students to become more proficient not only in English but also
in their respective majors.
2.1.2 Definition of language learning strategy

Vocabulary learning strategies are considered a subset of language
learning strategies. Language learning strategies have received a considerable
amount of significance since early 1970s for the crucial role they are playing in
in language learning. Linguistic field’s professionals have been submitting a lot
of statements to provide useful strategies for learners to be good at acquiring
language as well as vocabulary and specialized vocabulary, although research
into language learning strategies started in the 1970s (Rubin, 1975; Stern,
1975), controversy still rages over how they are defined (Tseng, Dörnyei, &
Schmitt, 2006). However, Griffiths (2008, p. 87) defines language learning
strategies as activities learners consciously choose to regulate their language
learning. Interestingly, Cohen (2007) and Oxford (1990) include increasing

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