A Study On English Major's Self-regulatory Capacity In Vocabulary Learning

For second language and foreign language learners, acquiring sufficient vocabulary is a key to improving their language skills and English proficiency. Of numerous internal and external factors influencing vocabulary acquisition, learners'self-regulatory capacity has been prominent. In 2006, Wen-ta Tseng, Zoltan D?rnyei and Norbert Schmitt transferred the theoretical construct of self-regulation from educational psychology to the area of second language acquisition. Moreover, they developed a reliable and valid"Self-Regulatory Capacity in Vocabulary Learning"scale(SRCvoc) based on D?rnyei's(2001) theory of the classification about self-activation motivation strategy, thus providing the empirical basis for developing this line of research. In China, however, most previous studies have mainly focused on self-regulatory capacity (SRC) in foreign language learning and its correlation with course achievements, there's little research on learners'SRC in vocabulary learning. Therefore, by taking metacognitive theory as the theoretical frame, this study aims to use mixed methods to explore the following three questions: What's the current status of English major's SRC in vocabulary learning? Regarding gender, school and grade, are there any differences in English major's SRC in vocabulary learning? What are the main factors that influence English major's SRC in vocabulary learning?In order to address the aforementioned questions, three hundred and two English majors from Shandong Agricultural University and Taishan University were selected as the subjects by means of random cluster sampling. The quantitative data from the Questionnaire were analyzed by using SPSS 13.0 to answer the first and second research questions, while qualitative data from semi-open structured interview were used to answer the third research question.The study results indicate that except for less than twelve percent of the English majors who have possessed very high and low self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning, more than eighty eight percent of the students have medium level of such capacity. Furthermore, among the five dimensions of the SRCvoc, students'environment control capacity is much higher than any of the other four. Findings also indicate that except for slight significant difference between commitment control dimension of the SRCvoc and grade, no significant differences among gender, school, grade, SRCvoc and its dimensions have been found. Moreover, the students'L2 interest, L2 confidence, L2 learning strategy and L2 learning environment may be the chief influencing factors that affect SRC.This study has important implications for English major's vocabulary teaching and learning. From the perspective of instruction, English teachers should help students cultivate their metacognitive awareness and self-regulatory ability, create congenial teaching environments and take effective measures to strengthen the student's interest, confidence and learning strategies in vocabulary learning, thus improving their self-regulatory ability. From the perspective of learning, students may use the Questionnaire to understand their SRC in vocabulary learning. Their efficiency of vocabulary learning is likely to depend on whether they are capable of building up their interests, confidence and finding the suitable environment.