An Investigation Into English Vocabulary Learning Strategies Of Senior High Students

Since the 1970s, the research concern in language teaching and learning has shifted from teaching methodology to learner characteristics. Vocabulary, as one of the three elements of language, is of great importance in language learning. The focus has shifted to the vocabulary learning strategies learners employed。Although many researchers at home and abroad have made explorations in this field and achieved a lot, few researches have been done on the high school students. Most students feel it important but hard to have a good command of English vocabulary in the learning of English. Senior high students have to meet higher requirements set by the New Curriculum. In English learning, high school students should form good study habits and develop their own proper and effective learning strategies so as to study efficiently and independently and lay a good foundation for their future development and life-long learning.Based on 0'Malley&Chamot(1990) and Oxford (1990) catalogues of vocabulary learning strategies, the author of this thesis designed a vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire which was administered to151 high school students in an attempt to investigate the following questions:a. the overall patterns of vocabulary beliefs held and the vocabulary learning strategies employed by high school students. b. similarities and differences in the application of English vocabulary strategies between male and female learners, between better and slower learners, between the students of humanities and sciences. The thesis stresses the significance of English vocabulary learning strategies. In the last part of this thesis, some suggestions have been proposed on the basic training principles of English vocabulary learning strategies and the training methods based on the findings of the research. The author thinks that in order to learn more English words and phrases, the students should both use a variety of strategies and put their hearts into learning them. At the same time, the English teachers ought to change their educational notions and train their students' learning strategies consciously in class.There are six chapters in the thesis:Chapter one is the introduction and significance of the study; Chapter two states the definition, classifications and achievements on researches of vocabulary learning strategies; Chapter Three explains the design and procedures of the study; Chapter four is data analysis and comparison; Chapter five is the suggestions on English vocabulary learning strategies teaching in high school;Chapter six draw conclusions and point out the limitations as well as suggestions about future research on this issue.