Khóa luận tốt nghiệp a survey of beliefs and vocabulary learning strategies adopted by third year english majors at vietnam national university of agricultrure

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BA THESIS
A SURVEY OF BELIEFS AND VOCABULARY
LEARNING STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY THIRDYEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT VIETNAM NATIONAL
UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
KHẢO SÁT VỀ NIỀM TIN VÀ CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC TỪ
VỰNG CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM BA NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ
ANH TẠI HỌC VIỆN NÔNG NGHIỆP VIỆT NAM

Student

: BUI THI THANH HUYEN

Student code : 621266
Major

: ENGLISH

Supervisor

: NGUYEN THI HOAI, M.A

Hanoi – 2021


VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BA THESIS
A SURVEY OF BELIEFS AND VOCABULARY
LEARNING STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY THIRDYEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT VIETNAM NATIONAL
UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
KHẢO SÁT VỀ NIỀM TIN VÀ CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC TỪ
VỰNG CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM BA NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ
ANH TẠI HỌC VIỆN NÔNG NGHIỆP VIỆT NAM

Student

: BUI THI THANH HUYEN

Student code : 621266
Major

: ENGLISH

Supervisor

: NGUYEN THI HOAI, M.A

Hanoi – 2021


CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study Project report
entitled ― A survey of beliefs and vocabulary learning strategies adadopted by
third-year English majors at Vietnam national university of Agriculture‖

submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor in
English Language. Except where the reference is indicated, no other
person‘swork has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the
thesis.

Hanoi, 2021

BÙI THỊ THANH HUYỀN

Approved by
SUPERVISOR

(Signature and full name)
Date:……………………

i


TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ii

ABSTRACT

iv

LIST OF ABRRIVIATION

vi

LIST OF TABLES

vii

PART 1 . INTRODUCTION

1

1.RATIONALE OF THE STUDY

1

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

4

3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

4

4 . SCOPE OF THE STUDY

4

5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

4

6.DESIGN OF THE STUDY

5

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT

6

Chapter 1. LITERATURE REVIEW

6

1.1. HOW VOCABULARY SHOULD BE LEARNED

6

1.2. DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF VOCABULARY
LEARNING STRATEGIES

7

1.3. STUDIES ON BELIEFS AND VOCABULARY LEARNING
STRATEGIES
1.4.SUMMARY
Chapter 2: RESEARCH METHODS

9

14
15

2.1. RESEARCH METHODS

15

2.2. CONTEXT OF THE STUDY

15

2.3. DATA COLLECTION

15

2.3.1 Data collection instrument

15

2.3.2 Data collection procedures

17

ii


2.4. DATA ANALYSIS

17

2.5.SUMMARY

17

Chapter 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

18

3.1 RESEARCH QUESTION 1: WHAT ARE THE LEARNERS‘ BELIEFS
ABOUT VOCABULARY LEARNING

18

3.2 RESEARCH QUESTION 2: WHAT ARE THE MOST AND LEAST
COMMON STRATEGIES FOR LEARNING VOCABULARY UTILIZED
BY ENGLISH MAJORS AT VNUA

20

3.3.SUMMARY

29

PART 4 .CONCLUSION

30

1.Recapitulation

30

2. Concluding remarks

30

3. Limitation of the study

32

4. Recommendations/Suggestions for further study

32

REFERENCE

33

APPENDIX

37

iii


ABSTRACT
This study explored ―Vocabulary Learning Beliefs and Vocabulary
Learning Strategies‖ of third-year English majors students at Vietnam national
university of Agriculture. The purpose of the research is to find out (1) students'
beliefs about vocabulary learning; (2) the least and most strategies adopted by
learners. The questionnaire was adopted from Hadi and Guo (2020), see

Appendix, including four components: beliefs about vocabulary learning,
metacognitive regulation of vocabulary learning, cognitive strategies of
vocabulary learning, and affective strategies of vocabulary learning — designed
for 105 third-year students at VNUA. Data was analyzed using excel. The
results of the study show that learners: (1) prefer to learn words through memory
rather than learning by using; (2) have the ability to select, understand, apply
what they need to learn; (3) mostly relied on inferencing, using dictionary,
rehearsal, note-taking in vocabulary learning and (4) have the ability to manage
and control their emotions, positive and negative emotions

in learning

vocabulary.

iv


ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First of all，I would like to acknowledge my deep gratitude to

my

supervisor，Mrs Nguyen Thi Hoai, MA for her valuable guidance，helpful
suggestions and eritical comments throughout research ， without which my
research could not been completed。
I would like to send my sincere thanks to the lecturers in the Faculty of
Education and Foreign Languages at VNUA for their useful advice on this study。
Finally，I wish to send my sincere thanks to all third -year English major
students at VNUA for their participation and assistance，without which this
study could not have been successful.

v


LIST OF ABRRIVIATION
VNUA

: Vietnam National University of Agriculture

L2

: Second Language

VLS

:Vocabulary learning strategies

ELLS

: English Language Learners

EFL

: English Foreign Language

vi


LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1: Participants of the study ..................................................................... 15

Table 2.2 Description of the categories of VLS.................................................. 16
Table 3.1: Beliefs about vocabulary learning ..................................................... 18
Table 3.2: Vocabulary learning strategies: Metacognitive strategies ................. 20
Table 3.3: Vocabulary learning strategies: Inferencing, Using Dictionaries,
Rehearsal, Note-taking, Encoding, Activation.................................................... 22
Table 3.4: : Vocabulary learning strategies: Affective Strategies ...................... 28

vii


PART 1 . INTRODUCTION
1.RATIONALE OF THE STUDY
Nowadays, English has been included in the compulsory curriculum of
students from a very early age. The lack of vocabulary, even a lot of vocabulary,
can be one of the reasons why students do not improve their English. To help
learn vocabulary effectively, the application of vocabulary learning strategies
greatly contributes to English learning for students.
―L2 learning of vocabulary is not just learning a word once and for all, but
learning the range of information that goes with it.‘‘Cook (2008). Also, to learn
vocabulary, especially in English, we should learn the definitions attached to it,
not only help them understand that vocabulary, but we also apply it in practice,
put into the wallets. For example, moreover, we will learn new words through
attached definitions as well as synonyms of those new words.
When it comes to learning a foreign language like English, many students
spend hours working with textbooks, doing grammar exercises and maybe even
watching entertainment in their target language. However, many people do not
realize that learning vocabulary is just as important, if not more important when
it comes to success in language learning.
Vocabulary knowledge is perhaps the most important factor when it comes
to reading comprehension, for both native and non-native speakers. For example,

if you sit down to read a book and you don't know which vocabulary is used,
you will have difficulty understanding the meaning of the text. As Paul Nation
(2015) noted in his paper on vocabulary learning: ―Vocabulary is not an end in
itself. A rich vocabulary makes the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and
writing easier to perform. ‖ Truthly, when you have a broader vocabulary in
your target language, you will benefit from developing the four skills of
listening, speaking, reading and writing.

1


We see similar evidence when it comes to language students' listening
skills. Obviously, if you have never seen or heard a specific vocabulary in the
second language, it will be difficult to recognize and decode sounds and thus
draw meaning. If you are a language learner, you may be able to understand a
word through context or by relating it to other words in the same word family or
by

its pronunciation. ― Is vocabulary important in language learning?,Text

Inspector,2020‘‘
Rie Koizumi affirms "... of the five factors (i.e. pronunciation,
comprehension, fluency, grammar and vocabulary), vocabulary is the only one
that affects the proficiency difference between beginner and intermediate
learners. For intermediate learners and above, all five factors affect proficiency
differences, but vocabulary often appears as the distinguishing factor. "
Vocabulary learning strategies are one part of language learning strategies
which in turn are part of general learning strategies (Nation, 2001).In the world,
there are a lot of research on effective vocabulary learning strategies such as
using context, encoding, using dictionary, note-taking and they motivate

students to help them memorize or other strategies relate about cognitive and
understanding abilities. Learners can choose from different vocabulary learning
strategies that are suitable for them. Instead of learning a bunch of vocabulary,
learners can get creative using the Mind Map (mind map). Mind Map is a map
with lines, shapes, words and pictures, which are presented logically, very
convenient for acquiring and memorizing vocabulary.
At Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA),

vocabulary

learning strategies of students in general and students at English majors in
particular is still quite limited and seems to be ineffective. . Specifically, there
are big differences between students; Levels are not equal and different from
vocabulary learning strategies . In the learning process, students are afraid of

2


learning new words and basically cannot keep up with the vocabulary of the
program, which will cause many difficulties.
Before , many researchers have studied how students and English learners
learn vocabulary, how they use strategies to learn vocabulary, as well as their
beliefs about learning vocabulary. Talking about the belief, Borg (2001: 186)
shows the relationship between belief and behavior; conscious versus
unconscious beliefs; beliefs as value commitments) and summarized these as:
―A belief is a proposition which may be consciously or unconsciously held, is
evaluative in that it is accepted as true by the individual, and is therefore imbued
with emotive commitment; further, it serves as a guide to thought and
behaviour.‘‘ And Asbjornson |1999:1| also explains Gaies‘ (1998) proposition as
follows: ―First, beliefs are subjective, therefore, they do not necessarily reflect

external reality. Beliefs reflect ―truths‖ held by individuals and, therefore, are
potentially facilitative for language learning (e.g., everyone can learn a language)
or debilitative (e.g., boys are not good language learners). Second, beliefs about
language learning should be stable over time, which indicates that beliefs are
formed and maintained by a complex social and cultural system. Finally, Gaies
asserts that belief systems are unique to individuals.‘‘ Although the definitions
of beliefs are not clear are still theoretically ambiguous, what is involved in
studying beliefs about language learning and greatly influence vocabulary
learning strategies, shows the importance of studying beliefs of learners have
been well defined.
At Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), there has been no
research carried out to investigate vocabulary learning strategies that students
adopt. Therefore, we have decided to conduct a study on beliefs and vocabulary
learning strategies adopted by third-year English majors at VNUA.

3


2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Research aims to examine vocabulary learning strategies applied by thirdyear English majors students at VNUA. Specifically, the study examines the
beliefs of third-year English majors students about vocabulary learning and the
most and the least common strategies for learning vocabulary utilized by thirdyear English majors at VNUA.
3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study was intended to answer the following two research questions:
Research question 1: What are the learners‘ beliefs about vocabulary
learning?
Research question 2: What are the most and least common strategies for
learning vocabulary utilized by English majors at VNUA?
4 . SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study investigated 105 third-year students majoring in English at

VNUA. The study completes during 5 months (from February to June, 2021).
5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study aims at finding out third-year English majors‘ belief and use of
vocabulary learning strategies.
As for English lecturers, the findings of the study will help lecturers of
English at VNUA gain an insight into how their students believe about
vocabulary learning, on the basis of which, lecturers could have better
instructions on how their students should change their understanding of
vocabulary learning, on the basic of which they will have wiser choices in terms
of vocabulary learning strategies for themselves, which in turn help improve
their vocabulary learning in particular and boost their English learning in
general.
As for students, providing a description of the vocabulary learning
strategies, the study helps raise awareness of the use of different vocabulary

4


learning strategies and encourage them to use a variety of strategies for their
effective vocabulary learning. Successful learners should not use one vocabulary
learning strategies. Therefore, knowing many other strategies and trying new
strategies would give them better chance to become more advanced learners of
English in their study.
6.DESIGN OF THE STUDY
Apart from : Abstracts, references & appendices, the study consists of three
main.
The rest of the study comprises three parts as follows:
In part one: Introduction present rationale of study, Aim and objectives of
study, Research questions, Scope of study, Significance and Design of study.
In part two: Development: consist of 3 chapters as follows:

Chapter 1: (Literature review), the researcher investigates prior literature to
clarify some major terms in the study.
Chapter 2:( Methodology), the justifications for the use of the methodology with
detailed descriptions are presented.
Chapter 3: (Discussion), the researcher process the data acquired to answer the
research questions.
In part three: Conclusion, the researcher summarizes all the findings revealed
and suggest some contributions of the study.
Reference
Appendix

5


PART 2: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1. LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. HOW VOCABULARY SHOULD BE LEARNED
Sternberg (1983) states that ‗‘Most vocabulary is learned from context .‘‘
The reason for saying this is because the author pointed out the context that
plays an important role in learning vocabulary. What the document claims to
imply is that teaching people to better learn from context can be a highly
effective way to enhance vocabulary development, is that teaching specific
vocabulary using context is the most effective way. , or even relatively effective
at teaching that vocabulary. It is associated with the context to help learners
relate and remember longer.
Brown and Payne (1994, as cited in Hashimi & Hadavi, 2015) identify
fives steps in learning vocabulary. The steps are: identifying new words,
understanding the words form and meaning, retaining the form and meaning of
words in memory, and use the words in real circumstances. This finding in the
author's research paper is a process of understanding and applying words. To

learn a word, we must deeply understand that word, form our own concept, and
then apply it in practice and use it in all situations. Such application of new
words will make you develop more sentences and enrich your vocabulary.
Brenda D. Smith (2008) identifies seven essential steps in learning and
remembering new words. Those are ―rhyming words, association and
organization, understanding the structure of words, using a dictionary,
recognizing word families (prefixes, roots, and suffixes), understanding word‘s
origin, and using analogies‖. ―Analogy is a cognitive process of transferin
information or meaning from a particular subject (the analog, or source) to
another (the target), or a linguistic expression corresponding to such a
process‖.(wikipedia foundation, ―analogy”). Like Brown and Payne (1994),
Smith also discovered that learning must follow a certain sequence, here the

6


author advises to understand the word structure, understand the prefix origin as
well as the suffix of the word. then learning a word will be easier, learners
themselves will think faster about that new word.
1.2. DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF VOCABULARY LEARNING
STRATEGIES
‗‘The first development in learning strategies area began in 1970s with
research to recognize the characteristics of good language learners‘‘ (Naiman et
al., 1978; Rubin, 1975). O‘Malley and Chamot define learning strategies as ―the
special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend,
learn or retain new information‖ (1990, p.1). Schmitt claims that learning is ―the
process by which information is obtained, stored, retrieved and used… therefore
vocabulary learning strategies could be any which affect this broadly defined
process‖ (1997, p.203). Fan (2003, cited in Mo Caiyi, 2014, p. 20) defines
vocabulary learning strategies as ―both general approaches and specific actions

or techniques (either mental or behavioral) used by a learner to make the
vocabulary learning become easier, faster and better‖.
In order to learn vocabulary effectively, learners need to apply the right
strategies. For example, ―to understand an unfamiliar language second L2 word,
people make use of a variety of strategies, such as guessing, using dictionaries,
deducing meaning from the word‘s form and relating it to cognates‘‘Fraser,1999;
Harler and hard, 2000). ‗‘To acquire new L2 words, people use strategies such
as repetition, organizing them in the mind, and linking them to existing
knowledge‘‘(Bialystok,1983 in Soria, 2001).
According to O‘Malley and Chamot (1990), learning strategies could be
classified into metacognitive, cognitive and socio-affective strategies. Nation
(2001) classifies vocabulary learning strategies into three categories: (1)
planning (2) source, and (3) processes. Nation also proposed that in vocabulary
learning the following items also play a critical role: ―context, word parts,

7


dictionary, learning from cards, and finding and learning ―multiword units‖ (Gu,
2018). Schmitt‘s (1997) vocabulary learning taxonomy is divided into two
categories: (1) discovery strategies and (2) consolidation strategies. Discovery
includes determination and social strategies; consolidation includes social
strategies, memory strategies, cognitive strategies, and metacognitive strategies
(Gu, 2018). Gu‘s (2013) taxonomy includes three components: beliefs,
metacognitive and cognitive. The metacognitive includes selective attention and
self-initiation. The cognitive includes inferencing, using dictionary, note-taking,
rehearsal, encoding, and activation (Gu, 2018).
Mohamed (2017) and his colleagues pointed out 7 vocabulary learning
strategies (which have

been tested), including: cognition, guessing, using

dictionary, taking notes, repeating words, decoding and applying words in
learning process, practice using language. In addition, many other studies also
show that: learning words should be through communication activities ; read
extension materials beyond textbooks ; method of word translation to explain
the meaning of words, teach the meaning of words; encourage learners to
increase awareness and use of metaphors, metaphors in language, learn words
by phrases instead of studying each single word.
Schmitt (1997) developed an extensive taxonomy that organised around
Oxford's (1990) about social, memory, cognitive and metacognitive categories.
Gu and Johnson (1996) also developed a substantial list divided into: beliefs
about vocabulary learning, metacognitive regulation, guessing strategies,
dictionary strategies, notetaking strategies, memory strategies (rehearsal),
memory strategies (encoding) and activation strategies.
According to Oxford (1990a), memory strategies are divided into four
groups. The first group is to create associations, including: creating groups,
linking and putting vocabulary into context. The second group uses images and
sounds including the use of images, language diagrams, keywords and sound

8


representations in memory. Group three includes structured review. The last
group is implementation by action. You can use actions or means to remember.
1.3. STUDIES ON BELIEFS AND VOCABULARY LEARNING
STRATEGIES
Horwitz (1988) demonstrated that language learners have beliefs about
language and language learning; especially EFL students. Horwitz investigated
the university's beliefs about foreign language learning and new foreign

language students, between teachers and learners. She affirms that the belief
between students and teachers will greatly affect students' vocabulary learning
and they may not participate in communication activities in class.
Gu & Johnson (1996)

researched the beliefs and strategies of adult

Chinese learners for learning EFL vocabulary in their study. Beliefs About
Vocabulary Learning in their study included: Vocabulary should be memorized;
Vocabulary should be picked up naturally; and Vocabulary should be studied
and used. They confirmed that in general, the learners emphasize the belief that
vocabulary should be remembered less than the other two types of beliefs. They
mainly believed that vocabulary should be studied carefully and used for
learning, the participants did not seem to believe in memorization; they often
react negatively to memorization strategies, with the exception of oral repetition.
Hadi & Guo (2020) studied on ―Beliefs about vocabulary learning and
vocabulary learning strategies‖ of Afghan EFL learners at Shaikh Zayed
University, Afghanistan. In their conclusion affirms learners' belief that they
prefer to learn words through use (contextual learning) rather than memorization;
learners have the ability to ―identify, select and understand the necessary words".
Cook (2008) states that ‗‘Most uses of vocabulary in textbooks imply that
words have single Greek books that have vocabulary lists usually give singleword translations‘‘, ‗‘an aspect of vocabulary that has become important in
recent years is how theword fits in to the structure of the sentence.‘‘ technique

9


(Nation, 1978a) is a useful way of learning new vocabulary, in particular
becoming familiar with the spoken form of the word and linking it to its
meaning. Teachers can incorporate technology into students' vocabulary

learning strategies to help them become more receptive throughout the learning
process.
Their main findings strongly supported Sanaoui‘s conclusions, which is
more frequent and elaborate strategy use ―is linked to success in language
learning, whereas lack of effort on the learners‘ part relates to poor achievement‖
(p. 190). In addition, time and learner independence were found to be the two
measures that are closely related ―to success in vocabulary learning and higher
overall English proficiency‖ (p. 176). (cited in, Ruutmets, 2005 ).
Bera (2016) researches on strategies to use context and motivates students
to better memorize and apply vocabulary; Or, assigning exercises according to
students' different cognitive abilities and understanding is also suggested as a
way to promote learning, paying more attention to their vocabulary. In order to
help students remember new words, teachers can ask English language learners
to associate the new words with things that are already familiar to them, or the
teacher can translate the words into the students‘ primary language (Colorado,
2007).
Wiley (2003) provides a descriptive study of sex differences in second
language use. A questionnaire was conducted for the 581 Spanish-speaking
students studying Basque and English as L2 (279 boys and 302 girls) to answer
the following questions: Are second language learners male and female have
differ in (1) the number and (2) the vocabulary strategy range they use? The
results show that they differ significantly in the number of strategies used. In
terms of vocabulary strategy ranges, 8 out of the 10 most frequently shared
strategies are shared by men and women. However, a thorough analysis of the
data also reveals differences, such as women using more formal rule strategies,

10


invoking strategies, exercise strategies, and planning strategies. Strategies and

men use more visual vocabulary learning strategies. In addition, the total rate of
use of the strategy among women is higher than that of men, which indicates
different perceptions of vocabulary learning behaviors or different patterns of
using vocabulary strategies for men and women.
Fan (2003) also conducted a study on Chinese EFL learners in Hong Kong,
evaluating vocabulary tests and strategic questionnaires completed by more than
1,000 university students. Fan found that the most proficient participants in her
study used a number of different strategies (especially using multiple sources,
dictionaries, guesses and known word strategies) often significantly less
proficient (p. 233), and she echoed Sanaoui's (1995) point of view on the
importance of review and reinforcement in vocabulary learning (p. 234). Fan
also found that the use of the strategy is complex and that there exist notable
differences between the frequency of use and the reported usefulness, perceived
by Vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) of the study participants in particular.
Therefore, Fan (2003) concluded by emphasizing the importance of helping EFL
students understand the importance of VLS and encouraging them to develop
their own effective strategies. (cited in, Fan, 2003)
Researchers' previous research on vocabulary learning strategies has yielded
profound results. as we see in a study done by Ahmed (1989) showed that
Sudanese university students successfully used dictionaries and note-taking
strategies as common learning strategies.
However, in another survey conducted in Japan by Schmitt (1997) among 600
high school, college and adult students, the researcher found that the strategies
that the most often used are dictionaries, oral and written repetition, spelling
words, and contextual guessing, while semantic mapping, keyword methods,
and first language compound words are used less often regularly. There is also
some evidence that more proficient learners are more likely to use meaning-

11

centered strategies than less proficient learners. After classifying vocabulary
learning strategies, Kudo (1999) states that the strategy is the most and the least
used. He concluded that the most common and least common vocabulary
learning strategies in L2 were list learning and keyword techniques, respectively.
Fan (2003) also studied 1067 university students in Hong Kong and
realized that they were not using keyword techniques and management strategies
when they used dictionary and guessing context strategies.
In a recent study, Arjomand and Sharififar (2011) explored the relationship
between vocabulary learning strategies and gender of Iranian EFL learners.
They conclude that cognitive strategy is the most commonly used strategy, while
social strategy is the least used strategy. Furthermore, with regard to gender,
they claim that the cognitive / metacognitive strategies and social/affective
strategies are the most and the least of the strategies, respectively.
Metacognition is a term first used by Flavell (1979) to refer to the concept of
thinking about thoughts, perception of perception '' thinking about thinking,
learning how to learn ".
According to Derry and Murphy (1986), ―cognitive strategy is a set of
mental strategies selected, used and directed by an individual in a particular
learning environment to support language acquisition and skills more easily and
achieve better goals‖.
Metacognitive strategies, according to Schmitt (1997, p. 216), ―are used by
students to control and evaluate their own learning, by having an overview
or learning reflection of the learning process in general.‖ Whereas social
cognitive strategies involve asking someone, usually teachers and peers, for
the synonyms, definitions or example sentences of a particular unfamiliar word
(Wasik& Iannone-C., 2012). According to the definition by two researchers, it is
clear that metacognitive strategies are those in which learners learn from
experience as well as themselves, while social strategies is a strategy to

12


influence learners through classroom learning, as well as following a certain
pattern that has been learned through generations.
In the research conducted by Scafaru and Tofan (2006), ― there was use of
over seven different strategies which included micro-strategies, macro-strategies,
dictionary use, memorization, practice,preferred source of information and note
taking. Note taking is a strategy which a lot of learners use and it has been
proved to be effective as some learners prefer to work on visual memory, which
meanssince they have written a new vocabulary they are able to create an image
in their mind about the word‖. Both the papers (Scafaru and Tofan (2006) and
Peter (2003) confirm that ―there is a similar pattern in note- taking. Learners
took notes in the margin, used vocabulary books, organized words by
meaning,spelling formation, word derivation, grammatical information, or
vocabulary card‖. Learners may also find that taking notes is very familiar and
widely used in vocabulary learning, taking notes is a very easy strategy to use
and requires only a small notebook so that can take anywhere.
Lip (2009, p. 77) study Chinese EFL postsecondary students and
found that ―the most frequently used and most useful vocabulary learning
strategies are 1) spelling the word in the mind repeatedly; 2) analyzing
the word by breaking down the sound segments; and 3)remembering words by
doing a project; and 4) asking classmates for the meaning of the word.‖ In
another study by Shiwu (2005) with EFL learners in Taiwan, it is found that"
the most popular strategies used by students from different age groups and
levels are using electronic dictionaries, particularly bilingual dictionaries,
and guessing the meaning of the words from context".
Subekti & Lawson( 2007) claims that the use of dictionary, simple use of
context and repeated pronunciation of the word and its meaning are
among the most frequently used strategies of Indonesian postgraduate students

in learning new words .

13


1.4.SUMMARY
This chapter has reviewed the main theoretical contributions and empirical
studies of previous researchers as well as reviews of their studies. In the first
section of the chapter, we learn about how vocabulary is learned through what
and by what steps. a new word as we see them learned through different
processes, to learn a vocabulary we have to learn about the origin, have to learn
deeply about them, must understand the essence of a word so that learners can
remember them longer and apply them in all different situations.
Talking about definitions and classifications of vocabulary learning strategies.
Effective and methodical learning strategies will help learners learn new words
faster than learning vocabulary without a pattern. There are many vocabulary
learning strategies offered such as metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies,
etc., In particular, strategies of using dictionary, taking notes, coding, guessing
words, etc.
This chapter is followed by research papers along with the researcher's findings
and conclusions about the use of strategies for vocabulary learning. Studies have
come to different conclusions about the use and extent of learners' use of these
strategies. As Peter (2003) asserts that taking notes is a strategy used by learners
a lot in his research. Thus, there will be different methods applied to learners so
that they can use in their learning process.

14


Chapter 2: RESEARCH METHODS

2.1. RESEARCH METHODS
This study applied quantitative approach: using questionnaire to collect
descriptive data to answer the research questions.
2.2. CONTEXT OF THE STUDY
The research would be conducted at VNUA, second semester of the school
year 2020-2021. Participants of the study are 105 third-year English majors at
VNUA. Most of them are 21 years old and they have studied English for 14
years.
Table 2.1: Participants of the study
Class

Number of

Male

Female

participants
K63ENGA

21

3

18

K63ENGB

19

3

16

K63ENGC

20

5

15

K63ENGD

23

2

21

K63ENGE

22

3

19

Total

105

16

89

2.3. DATA COLLECTION
2.3.1 Data collection instrument
The study used questionnaire with multiple choice questions. The
questionnaire was adopted from Hadi and Guo (2020). The questionnaire
consisted of two parts: (1) belief about vocabulary learning and (2) learning
strategies The students asked to elicit their responses to the questions. The

15


frequencies were measured by 5-point Likert-scale from 1 (Strongly disagree)
to 5 (Strongly agree). The questionnaire in English was then translated into
Vietnamese for the effectiveness of data collection process. After that, the
Vietnamese questionnaire was be piloted with some university students to
check whether there is any ambiguous expressions or questions. Further
editions were be made afterwards before delivering the questionnaire to collect
data for the study.
Table 2.2. Description of the categories of VLS
Strategies

Sub-Strategies

Items

Beliefs

Word Should be

1–6

Memorized
Word Should be Learned

7–10

Through Use
Metacognitive

Cognitive

Affective

Selective Attention

11–13

Self-initiation

14–17

Inferencing

18–23

Using Dictionary

24–30

Note-taking

31–36

Rehearsal

37–45

Encoding

46–55

Activation

56–59

Affective

60–65

16