A Study On Vocabulary Learning Strategies For Students Of English Department In Higher Normal School

Vocabulary learning strategy is a hot issue in the study of SLA, into which a lot of researches have been made abroad and in China. The researches abroad center around the classification of the vocabulary learning strategies or the description of strategy or strategies of particular groups of learners and some researches go to the theoretical framework for evaluation and training.The last decade has witnessed the development in depth in the research of this domain in China. These studies provide the insight into the general characteristic of the strategy usage of the Chinese students, which have greatly enriched the understanding of the vocabulary learning process of the Chinese students.The present research attempts to explore the overall pattern of English vocabulary learning strategies used by some normal school students. Besides it, the employment of specific strategies, and both similarities and differences in English vocabulary learning strategies use between male students and female students, successful students and less successful students are also explored in this thesis.A questionnaire, adapted from Gu and Johnson (1996), is administered to 176 students from Funing Higher Normal School. Their English vocabulary learning strategies are investigated at metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective levels. By using SPSS, the analyses of the data reveal:1. Generally speaking, the investigated students employ a variety of vocabulary learning strategies at metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective levels. There is no distinctive difference among the frequency of the three broad categories of vocabulary learning strategies. Among all the specific strategies, the frequency is:dictionary strategies for comprehension>self-initiation>extended dictionary strategies. And the less used strategies are:using word lists, contextual encoding, grouping and imagery.2. The differences in English vocabulary learning strategies use between male students and female students are not very distinctive. The male students often use selective attention, dictionary strategies for comprehension, and self-initiation, while the female students often employ dictionary strategies for comprehension, self-initiation, and extended dictionary strategies.3. There are slight differences in English vocabulary learning strategies use between successful students and less successful students. The successful students employ more strategies than the less successful ones. The former often use dictionary strategies for comprehension, self-initiation, and use background knowledge\wider context, while the less successful students often employ dictionary strategies for comprehension, self-initiation, and extended dictionary strategies.This thesis analyzes these findings respectively, and suggests some pedagogical implications of the research.