Investigation And Suggestions On Vocabulary Learning Strategies For Vocational College Students

In the second language acquisition vocabulary learning plays a very important role. Despite the fact that many scholars at home and abroad have conducted many studies in this field, many aspects remain untouched. Most of the studies are carried out in four-year colleges and in middle and high schools, but few studies are focused on how HVC (Higher Vocational Colleges) students acquire second language vocabulary.The paper firstly reviews the studies on the LLS (language learning strategies) and VLS(vocabulary learning strategies) at home and abroad. Then the author chooses ninety-six non-English major sophomores from Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology as the subjects of the study. The research begins with a vocabulary learning questionnaire, hoping to obtain the information of the usage of VLS. Based on the results, the author provided some advice on vocabulary learning beliefs and VLS. The author proposes a theoretical framework for the implementation of vocabulary strategies in the classroom teaching environment, the purpose of implementation and the effective methods of strategy learning. This thesis explores how to integrate VLS into the English teaching of Higher Vocational College in order to help students to find suitable VLS to improve students’ awareness of strategy, to cultivate students’comprehensive abilities in vocabulary studying.Results of the research show that:1) As for vocabulary learning belief, most of vocational college students firmly hold the belief that words should be learned by using or by acquiring from context. But they prefer rote-learning and repetitions in real learning. Vocational college students employ a variety of VLS in vocabulary learning, most used cognitive strategies, less used meta-cognitive, the least used social/affective strategies.2) As to the comparison of VLS between males and females, it is found that there is no great difference between males and females in Meta-cognitive Strategies and Cognitive Strategies, but females employ Social/Affective Strategies more frequently than males.3)As to the comparison of vocabulary learning between more successful learners and less successful learners, it is found that more successful learners employ more meta-cognitive and many effective cognitive strategies; less successful learners employ meta-cognitive strategies less frequently and the number of cognitive they used is very limited.