Investigating Students‟ Strategies for Learning Vocabulary

Abstract

Vocabulary knowledge is of paramount significance in the language learning process. Vocabulary learning is among the major challenges that learners may face, as any inadequacy in vocabulary knowledge can cause difficulties in foreign language learning i.e. it may affect both production and comprehension. Hence, learners can enhance their vocabulary by applying a variety of vocabulary learning strategies. In this regard, the present study sets out to investigate students‟ vocabulary learning strategies , the most and the least commonly employed strategies in addition to the vocabulary learning strategies used by males and females of second year EFL students at Mila University Centre. Based on these research concerns, it is hypothesized that second year EFL students at Mila University Center use strategies to learn vocabulary, students deploy some strategies more than other ones also males and females use different strategies to learn vocabulary. The questionnaire was found a suitable tool to collect data for the present study. The results drawn from this study they reveal that students use a variety of vocabulary learning strategies, the use of some strategies at the expense of other strategies, and that gender affects the strategy choice. In the light of the data obtained from the questionnaire, it is extremely recommended to raise the awareness of vocabulary learning strategies to help learners become more effective as well teachers should encourage their students to use vocabulary learning strategies and direct them towards how to use these strategies in a way that it benefits them.