The Study Of The Strategies In English Vocabulary Teaching And Learning In Secondary Technical School

English vocabulary teaching plays an important role in improving the students' listening, speaking, reading and writing ability. The linguist David Wilkins (1972) summed up the importance of vocabulary learning and emphasized that without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. All foreign language learners and teachers know well that learning a Second language involves the learning of a large number of words. But when facing with so many unknown words, people often feel confused or boring. Teachers also want to find out how words can best be learned, but it is impossible for them to spend too much time on vocabulary teaching. So it is important to teach students strategies and make them use these strategies in vocabulary learning. Some researchers and teachers found that learning strategies have effect in students' English learning.The study in learning strategies began in 1970's. The purpose of the study was to find out the characteristics of the 'good learners'. Researchers found that learning strategies have positive effect in language learning (Rubin, 1975; Oxford 1990). Husltijn (1997) claimed that the teaching of vocabulary learning strategies especially at the intermediate and advanced level would bring significant result. In China some researchers and teachers also investigated leaning strategies (Wen Qiufang, 1995; Jiang Zukang, 1994), but most of them were concerning about college students. Few of studies about Secondary Technical School students were made. It is an empirical study carried on in a Secondary Technical School. The writer attempted to answer the following research questions:1.what kinds of vocabulary learning strategies do students prefer to use in their English vocabulary study? 2.Are there any positive effects on vocabulary strategy training?O'Malley and Chamot's (1990) classification of learning strategies was used in the study. O'Malley and Chamot distinguished three major types of strategy: metacognitive strategies, cognitive strategies and social/affective strategies. Metacognitive strategies make use of knowledge about cognitive processes and constitute an attempt to regulate language learning by means of planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Cognitive strategies refer to the steps or operations used in problem solving that require directive strategies. Social/affective strategies concern the way in which learners select to interact with other learners and native speakers.Two classes with 98 students attended the investigation. A vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire was used to investigate the students' strategies use. Before the training, the students were given questionnaires and English vocabulary test. Then the data was collected. After analyzing the students in the two classes have no obvious differences.O'Malley and Chamot's (1990) working on a project called Cognitive Academic Language LearningApproach (CALLA) provided a useful framework for direct language learning strategies instruction. The sequence of instruction in CALLA approach is a five-phase recursive cycle: Preparation, Presentation, Practice, Evaluation and Expansion. The students in controlled class were only given explanations of the vocabulary and read these vocabularies in the class then do some exercises. The students in the experimental class were trained with CALLA approach. In the controlled class, the students were asked to read after the teacher the words in the text, followed by the teacher's interpretations of the words, then the students remembered the words and do some exercises.After the training, the students in two classes were given a vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire and a vocabulary test. Then the statistic tool - SPSS version 11.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) was used to analyze the data.The results of the research are: 1. The most vocabulary strategies used by the students were repetition, dictionary use, exercising strategies. 2.CALLA Model can be used to improve students' vocabulary performance. 3. The uses of metacognitive strategies in their vocabulary learning are significantly related with their vocabulary performances.The whole paper consists of six sections. Section One is a brief introduction that states the reason and purpose of the study. Section Two reviews the main research in the field of learning strategies and strategies training, particularly in vocabulary learning strategies. It includes definition, classifications of the learning strategies and the studies abroad and in China. Section Three is the theory about the learning strategies. Anderson's (1980) cognitive theory and Chamot and O'Malley's (1990) Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) framework for direct language learning strategies instruction was used to train the students. Section Four is the present study that includes subjects, methods and research procedure. Section Five is analysis of the results. The final conclusions and implications are made in Section Six.