104
CHAPTER SIX IMPLICATIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND CONCLUSIONS
From the results in this study, vocational high school students don’t use vocabulary learning strategies very often. However, the use of vocabulary learning strategies does make a difference in different reading proficiency as analyzed statistically in the present study. Besides, vocabulary learning strategies used significantly differently by high and low reading proficiency students are also identified. It is also confirmed that high reading proficiency students not only use vocabulary learning strategies more frequently, but they also utilize more vocabulary learning strategies in combination. In this chapter, pedagogical implications, limitations of the study and suggestions for future research, and conclusions are proposed.
Pedagogical Implications
First of all, the instruction on vocabulary learning strategies should be incorporated into curriculum design. As Weden (1985) pointed out, learner strategies are the key element to learner autonomy, and thus one of the most important teaching goals is to facilitate autonomous learning. Besides, it has been found that students can benefit from the strategy-based instruction (MacIntyre & Noels 1996). To facilitate autonomous learning, training in learning strategies could be one of the teaching goals in the English classroom. Language teachers are encouraged to introduce various vocabulary learning strategies to students for their references. At the same time, textbooks should also include sections to train the use of different vocabulary learning strategies. By practicing using different strategies, learners may broaden their choice
105
of vocabulary learning strategies, increase their exposure to the target language, and finally gain learner autonomy in choosing strategies that enhance both their vocabulary learning and reading proficiency. Though the use of strategies such as imagery and association is related to learners’ cognitive maturity and language proficiency as proposed by literature and proved in the present study, it is worth introducing them to learners for their references, which may one day be practiced automatically.
Second, vocabulary learning strategies related to reading proficiency should be advocated to improve vocational high school students’ reading ability. In the present study, although students’ most and least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies are identified, as discussed earlier in this chapter, the most frequently used strategies are not necessarily useful to promote reading proficiency and some strategies related to higher reading proficiency are least used by participants. As the nineteen vocabulary learning strategies related to reading proficiency are identified in the present study, certain strategies reported to be of low frequency of use, such as the use of bilingual dictionary and the use of English-language media, should be encouraged and introduced by language teachers for vocational high school students to enhance their reading proficiency. It is expected that by utilizing these identified vocabulary learning strategies, learners could become more proficient English readers.
Third, students are encouraged to reflect on their own vocabulary learning strategies to assess the effectiveness of their strategies in use. This kind of self awareness is important for learners to keep on learning independently outside the classroom without teachers’ instruction. Once language learners have acquired various vocabulary learning strategies, their evaluation toward their own learning strategies will help them make the most of different vocabulary learning strategies to
106
meet their needs in learning the target language.
Limitations of the Study and Suggestions for Future Studies
Former studies either investigate the relationship between vocabulary size and vocabulary strategy use (Gu and Johnson, 1996; Wang, 2004), vocabulary strategy use and learning style (Chen, 2005), vocabulary strategy use and vocabulary learning achievement (Cheng, 2006), or vocabulary strategy use and English proficiency as a whole (Gu and Johnson, 1996; Kung, 2004). Few studies take a closer look at the relationship between English reading proficiency and vocabulary learning strategies.
This study provides a preliminary investigation into the relationship between vocabulary learning strategy use and reading proficiency. However, several limitations of the present study and suggestions for future studies are proposed as follows.
1. The number of participants could be larger. The whole participants involved in the present study are 106 vocational high school students, which seems to be too small when the high and low reading proficiency students are selected (with only 22 and 21 participants in respective group). Although significant results are obtained from the study, if the size of the population could be larger, the general picture of vocational high school students’ use of vocabulary learning strategies would be more complete.
2. More suitable instrument for testing vocational high school students’ reading proficiency is needed. The Intermediate Level of GEPT is designed for students graduating from senior high school. Although the third-year vocational high school students are of the same age, their reading proficiency as tested is not good enough to pass the test (with only 4 students out of 106 scored higher than 80 and passed the requirement of the test).
107
3. Qualitative research is needed to clarify participants’ actual use of vocabulary learning strategies. This study investigated participants’ use of vocabulary learning strategies according to their reports on the vocabulary learning strategy questionnaire. However, there may be some gap between reported use and actual use of these strategies. In addition to quantitative analysis, qualitative interview is suggested to be incorporated in future studies to clarify participants’ actual use of vocabulary learning strategies.
Conclusions
The present study presents the general picture of vocabulary learning strategies reported by vocational high school students. It also confirms the important role of vocabulary learning strategies in reading proficiency. In learning a foreign language, although there are large quantities of words needed to be learned for the purpose of comprehending the target language, the effective utilizing of vocabulary learning strategies help a lot. More emphasis should be put on learner-centered strategy instruction. In doing so, learners’ awareness toward their use of vocabulary learning strategies is raised and the efficacy of language learning is facilitated. However, more research is still needed to probe into the instructions of individual vocabulary learning strategies in the classroom to get better understanding of the effects of instruction on the use of effective vocabulary learning strategies.
