Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by Jordanian EFL Successful and Unsuccessful Learners

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1 Vol. 4, No. 3, 2017, Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by Jordanian EFL Successful and Unsuccessful Learners Sana Ababneh 1 Abstract The present study addresses itself to a significant part of the process of teaching and learning English, namely, the strategies used by both successful and unsuccessful Jordanian EFL learners in learning new vocabulary items. Moreover, the study also examines the effect of gender on the participants' choice of strategies when they face unfamiliar English vocabulary. One hundred thirty-five male and female Jordanian students have participated in the study. The results show that the participants, whether male or female, tend to resort to use their e-dictionaries downloaded on their mobile /smart phones as the main strategy to look up the meaning of any new vocabulary. In contrast, looking up new vocabulary in printed dictionaries was the least used strategy. Gender did not show any significant effect on the participants' choice of strategy. Keywords: learning strategies, English, gender, vocabulary learning, Jordan. 1. Introduction In the present-day world, showing a satisfactory command of English is essential to guarantee success in life since English is an international language which has become a tool for international communication in transportation, commerce, banking, tourism, technology, diplomacy and scientific research. Moreover, it has been increasingly used among nonnative speakers; over one half of the one billion English speakers of the world have learnt English as a second language (Brown, 2001: 118). In the same vein, the importance of English is recognized by more and more Jordanian people. Therefore, English has been taught in Jordanian schools and universities for a long time. Before going to the university, a Jordanian student must already have had at least eight years of English; furthermore, all undergraduate university students are required to take one or more courses in English regardless of their major. Moreover, passing the TOEFL exam is a prerequisite for admission to graduate studies. (Ababneh & Al-Momani, 2011:54) Despite this emphasis on the importance of English, learning English vocabulary seems to be a challenge for many EFL learners. It is well acknowledged that a great deal of the meaning of language depends mainly on the meanings of individual words and phrases (Wharton & Race, 2000:38). Moreover, the process of learning a foreign language by students living in a non-english speaking country is an important and challenging component in their lives due to the students' limited language exposure and opportunities to practice the language (Easterbrook, 2013: i) Richards and Renandya (2002: 255) stress the importance of learning vocabulary and claim that vocabulary is a core component of language proficiency and much of the basis for how well learners speak, listen, read, and write is provided by vocabulary. They also maintain that learners, without an extensive vocabulary and strategies for acquiring novel vocabulary, often achieve less than their potential. EFL learners need to resort to their own strategies that help them overcome the difficulties they face in learning new English vocabulary and in learning English as a second/foreign language in general. Before going into the details of our topic, a word on what is meant by learning strategies is in order. Oxford (1990, p. 1) defines language learning strategies as, steps taken by students to enhance their own 1 Al-Balqa Applied University, Jordan 2017 Research Academy of Social Sciences 123

2 S. Abebneh learning. Richards, Platt & Platt (1992:209) define learning strategies in second language learning as, "intentional behavior and thoughts that learners make use of during learning to better help them understand, learn or remember new information". O Malley and Chamot (1990: 1) give a broad definition of vocabulary learning strategies, as the special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn, or retain new information. Many studies in the field of second/foreign language learning have been conducted to analyze the strategies used by EFL learners. Ababneh, (2013) conducted a study to explore the strategies used by Jordanian EFL learners' in dealing with English vocabulary. She found that most of the learners look up the meaning of every new word. The difference between the present study and Ababneh's (2013) study is that the present study considers a new dimension of the process of learning that is the use of electronic dictionaries downloaded on learners' smart phones as a new strategy. Smart phones are widely used by college students so much so that it would be a great mistake to ignore them. Moreover, the present study differentiates between successful and unsuccessful learners. The decision whether a participant is a successful learner is based for the purposes of the present study on the results of a placement test of English given to all new students at Al- Balqa Applied University (BAU). Asgari & Bin Mustapha, (2011) examine the type of vocabulary learning strategies used by Malaysian ESL students. They conclude that the participants are keen on using some vocabulary learning strategies such as learning a word through reading, the use of monolingual dictionaries, and the use of various English language media. The participants prefer to use the strategies related to memory more often than those that require cognitively deeper processing such as putting English labels on physical objects, listening to tapes of word lists and writing down the new words. Shokouhi and Askari, (2010) conducted a study to pinpoint the impact of a contextual guessing strategy on vocabulary learning and reading authentic texts at the pre-university level Iranian learners. The results revealed that a contextual guessing strategy (CGS) instruction was more effective vis-à-vis direct vocabulary instruction in all particulars, and CGS was more effective than the non-context method in improving reading, and to produce large-scale vocabulary growth. He (2010) investigated Chinese learners attitude and evaluation on L2 vocabulary learning strategies. He also discusses the effect of these strategies on Chinese learners learning process. He concludes that good language learners used almost all the seven strategies under study while almost all the seven strategies seem useless for most of the unsuccessful learners because they do not have the skills to use these strategies. He calls on teachers to teach learning strategies and guide students to use these strategies in their learning process based on their English abilities. (He, 2010: 40). Alseweed (2005) conducted a study to identify the word-solving strategies skills used by Saudi university students when encountering unknown words while reading English texts. The findings of his study show that all the participants have preferences in using all strategies but with some tendency to use appealing for assistance more frequently than the other ones. From the above, it is clear that studying the learning strategies of EFL learners warrants further investigation especially since learners needs, facilities and abilities are changing and there is always a challenge to teachers who cater for improving the learning process of their students. Significance of the Study The significance of this study stems from the fact that Jordanian EFL students have limited knowledge of English vocabulary needed to comprehend English texts and to express themselves in English. This limited knowledge affects their success in both academic life and future expected career opportunities due to the importance of English in all these fields. Moreover, the present study is an attempt to investigate Jordanian EFL students' strategies in dealing with new vocabulary items on one hand, and to pinpoint the differences between successful and unsuccessful students' use of those strategies on the other hand. It will also shed some 124

3 light on the role of gender in learning vocabulary, as well as shed some light on the role of smart phones on EFL learners' academic life. This study is an attempt to provide useful insights into the English vocabulary learning process in Jordanian EFL classes, especially that learning vocabulary is one of the most challenging tasks that EFL learners face during the process of learning L2. Vocabulary has been recognized as crucial component of language whose insufficient knowledge by the learners can lead to difficulties in learning the language as a whole. Thus, students need to be educated in vocabulary learning strategies. (Asgari & Bin Mustapha, 2011: 84). Questions of the Study The present study aims to answer the following questions: 1. What is the strategy most used by unsuccessful Jordanian EFL learners? 2. What is the strategy most used by successful Jordanian EFL learners? 3. Are there any significant differences among unsuccessful students' strategies that could be attributed to the difference in their gender (male/female)? 4. Are there any significant differences among successful students' strategies that could be attributed to the difference in their gender (male/female)? 2. Methodology Participants of the Study The participants of the present study were purposefully chosen from the students registered in the summer semester of the academic year 2016/2017 in English 101 and 099, two English language skills courses given at Al-Huson University College. The total number of the participants was one hundred, thirty-five students: forty-eight female and eighty-seven males comprising the students in two sections of English. Instrument of the Study The main method of inquiry used in this study is a questionnaire designed by the researcher with help from experts in the field of teaching English. The questionnaire consisted of one question followed by seven answers that the participants ought to choose only one that best describes their most used strategy in their learning process. Data Collection The researcher obtained permission of the instructors who taught the two sections of English mentioned above to conduct her study. The participants were divided into two groups successful and unsuccessful depending on their scores in the English language placement test they took when they registered at the university. The students who pass the placement test are considered successful and skip 099, while those who don't pass it are considered unsuccessful and they must take 099. The researcher used the same questionnaire for the two groups to investigate the differences between their strategies in dealing with new English vocabulary. The participants were requested to state their true responses. Moreover, the researcher answered all the participants inquiries about the questionnaire to ensure that they give true responses. Data Analysis As already mentioned, the present study basically sought (1) to investigate Jordanian EFL students' strategies in dealing with new English vocabulary, (2) to shed light on the differences between successful and unsuccessful students' strategies regarding this specific area in learning English and (3) to investigate the role of gender in this respect. For the purposes of the study, the data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed in terms of frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and t-tests using the Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS). 125

4 3. Findings and Discussion S. Abebneh The aim of this part is to introduce the analysis of the data collected for the sake of this study. The first question of this study aimed to identify the strategy most used by unsuccessful learners when they face new English vocabulary. Table (1) below presents the strategies, frequencies and percentages of unsuccessful learners. It shows that the strategy most used by unsuccessful learners is the use of one s mobile phone dictionary with the highest percentage of 66.7%, and that the least used strategy by these students is looking a word up in a dictionary with a percentage of (1.4%). Table 1: Frequencies and Percentages of Unsuccessful Students Use of Strategies No. Strategy Frequency Percentage % 1 I look it up from a dictionary I use my mobile phone dictionary I ask someone to help (e.g. Teacher/colleague) I try to guess its meaning from context I try to guess what part of speech it is (noun, verb, adjective, adverb,.) I neglect / ignore/ skip it Others (specify) Total This result sheds light on two facts. First, weak students try to look up the meaning of a new vocabulary item rather than guess or skip it. This finding goes in line with Ababneh's (2013), Alseweed's (2000) and Schmitt's (1997) studies that show that the most used strategies by EFL learners is resorting to bilingual dictionaries. Moreover, it reflects the widespread use of mobile/smart phones rather than written dictionaries due to the easier accessibility and availability of the former. The second question aimed to identify the strategy most used by EFL successful learners when facing new English vocabulary. Table (2) below presents the strategies, frequencies and percentages of successful learners according to their responses on the questionnaire. Table 2: Frequencies and Percentages of Successful Students Use of Strategies No. Strategy Frequency Percentage % 1 I look it up from a dictionary I use my mobile phone dictionary I ask someone to help (e.g. Teacher/colleague) I try to guess its meaning from context I try to guess what part of speech it is (noun, verb, adjective, adverb,.) I neglect / ignore /skip it Others (specify) 0 0 Total The table shows that the strategy most resorted to is the use of mobile phone dictionary with a percentage of 69.7%, followed by trying to guess its meaning from context with a percentage of 16.7%. The least used strategy is to neglect / ignore / skip it with a percentage of 1.5%. Comparing the results of both groups (as shown in Tables 1 and 2), one can say that there are no differences between them in resorting to mobile phones as their most used strategy. This could be explained by the fact that most if not all students have their own smart phones and that it is the easiest way to find any information like finding a meaning of a new word instead of resorting to other 126

5 means, as they can do their mission silently and effectively without disturbing others or even taking the burden of looking for a dictionary. The second fact that successful and unsuccessful learners have in common is that they both give the least importance to the use of regular written dictionaries judging by the small percentages in the tables. In other words, electronic dictionaries have taken the place of print dictionaries, on one hand, and, on the other hand, both successful and unsuccessful students agree on this point due to the easy accessibility of the electronic device. This finding may explain Muhammed's (2014) conclusion that using mobile phones by the intermediate EFL learners he studied have a significant effect on their retention of vocabulary. The third question aimed at investigating the effect of gender on the strategy used among unsuccessful learners. To answer this question, a t-test was used to compare unsuccessful male students' strategies to unsuccessful female students strategies. Table (3) below shows this. Table 3: Mean Scores and T-test of Unsuccessful Students' Use of Strategies Presented in the Questionnaire According to their Gender. Gender N Mean SD T P-Value Male Female Data in Table (3) show that there are no significant differences between unsuccessful students' use of strategies that could be attributed to the difference in the gender since the t-value is and the P-value is which is more than The last question tried to examine if gender plays a significant role between successful learners' use of strategies under study. Again t-test was used to give answers to this question. Table (4) below shows the results. Table 4: Mean Scores and T-test of Successful Students' Use of Strategies Presented in the Questionnaire According to their Gender. Gender N Mean SD T P-Value Male Female Data obtained from Table (4) prove that there are no significant differences between successful learners' use of strategies that could be attributed to the difference in their gender because the T-value is and the P-Value is which is more than Conclusions and Recommendations The findings of the present study can be summarized in the following points. First, both successful and unsuccessful students participating in this study tend to use their e-dictionaries as the most used strategy when they face unfamiliar or new English vocabulary. This fact is clear evidence of the widespread use of mobile/smart phones as a learning tool that could be of a great benefit to the process of learning if it is used wisely by both learners and teachers. This goes in the same vein with Muhammad (2014) who claims that 99 % of the participants in his study considered smart phones as an effective resource in the process of learning English. It also supports the claims of Asgari & Bin Mustapha (2011: 89) who found that most of the students are not aware of the existence of the numerous strategies used to learn words other than using dictionaries and rote memorization. Second, the least used strategy by unsuccessful participants was the use of ordinary dictionaries. This fact again reflects that the use of e-dictionaries took the place of ordinary ones. So, it could be concluded from these two facts that the participants mainly resorted to the use of dictionaries whether electronic or ordinary 127

6 S. Abebneh ones. This goes in line with Ababneh's, (2013: 4) study in which the participants also resorted to the use of dictionaries as the first choice when they face new vocabulary. Third, both successful and unsuccessful participants tend to use the other strategies in almost the same percentage with insignificant differences as the data showed. Finally, gender of the participants whether successful or unsuccessful does not have a significant effect on their use of strategies included in the present study. Based on the above conclusions, it is recommended to reconsider the role of using technology in EFL classroom like smart/mobile phones and other portable electronic devices since it is very unusual today to find a student who does not have a device like that. This fact should be highlighted in future research as it is well acknowledged that students do most of their learning of new words independently, and it is wise to encourage them "to adopt personal plans to expand their vocabulary over time (Graves, 1987: 177). Moreover, it is recommended that teachers draw their students' attention to the importance of learning vocabulary not as lists of separate words which they can find their meanings from dictionaries, but as chunks of language and to develop other useful strategies when facing unfamiliar vocabulary item like guessing or skipping as such strategies makes vocabulary learning more interesting and not a burden of merely recalling. (Brown, 2001: 310). Finally, it is recommended to repeat this study using a larger sample to ensure the validity of the conclusions drawn out from this study. A sample that covers participants from all Jordanian universities might be more representative. It is probably wise to conduct a future study that examines the effect of using mobile/smart phones on the process of learning English as a foreign language from other perspectives not only on teaching vocabulary but other skills like speaking and writing. References Ababneh, S. & Al-Momani, M. (2011). The Effect of a Vocational Instructional Program on Vocational Students English Language Proficiency. International Journal of Vocational Education and Training. Vol.19, No. 1. Ababneh, Sana'. (2013). Strategies Used by Jordanian EFL Students' in Dealing with New Vocabulary in English. Journal of Education and Practice. Vol.4. No.4 pp.1-6. Alseweed, M.A. (2000). The Effect of Proficiency and Training on the Word -Solving Strategies of Arab EFL Readers. Unpublished doctoral Dissertation, Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex. Alseweed, M.A. (2005). Overcoming Unknown Words. Journal of Education & Psychological Sciences.Vol.6, No. 1. Asgari, Azadeh & Bin Mustapha, Ghazali. (2011). The Type of Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by ESL Students in University Putra Malaysia. English Language Teaching. Vol. 4, No. 2. Brown, H Douglas. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Ppedagogy (2nd ed). White Plains, NY: Longman. Easterbrook, Robert. (2013). The Process of Vocabulary Learning: Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Beliefs about Language and Language Learning. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Canberra. Graves, M.F. (1987). The Roles of Instruction in Fostering Vocabulary Development. In M.G.McKeown & M.E.Curtis(Eds.), The Nature of Vocabulary Acquisition ( pp ). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. He, Ying. (2010). A Study of L2 Vocabulary Learning Strategies. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, The School of Teacher Education, Kristianstad University. 128

7 O Malley, J. M., and Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Oxford, R. L. (1990). Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know. Singapore and Beijing: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, Cengage Learning and Beijing World Publishing Corporation. Muhammed, Azad. (2014). The Impact of Mobiles on Language Learning on the Part of English Foreign Language (EFL) University Students. Retrieved from: licenses/by-ncnd/3. /0/). Science Direct Global Conference on Linguistics and Foreign Language Teaching. LINELT Richards, J. C. Platt, J., & Platt, H. (1992). Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. London: Longman. Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (Eds.). (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Schmitt, N. (1997). Vocabulary Learning Strategies. In Schmitt, & M McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition, and Pedagogy. (pp ). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Shokouhi, H. & Askari, H. (2010). The Effect of Guessing Vocabulary in Reading Authentic Texts Among Pre-University Students. Arizona Working Papers in SLA & Teaching, Vol.17, pp, (75-89). Retrieved from: Wharton, S & Race. (2000). 500 Tips for TESOL: (Teaching English to speakers of other languages). Kogan Page, London & Sterling. Appendix (1) Questionnaire Strategies used by successful and unsuccessful achievers in English Gender: Male Female Please answer the following question by choosing only one of the distracters below. When you face an unfamiliar or a new English vocabulary item, what do you normally do to find out its meaning? a. I look it up from a dictionary. b. I use my mobile phone dictionary. c. I ask someone for help (e.g., teacher/ colleague). d. I try to guess its meaning from context. e. I try to guess what part of speech it is (noun, verb, adjective, adverb,...). f. I neglect/ ignore/ skip it. g. Others (specify)... Thank You 129