An Emperical Study Of The Capacity Of Self-regulation On Vocabulary Learning By English Majors In Shaanxi Province

Vocabulary acquisition plays an essensial part in the whole process of second language acquisition. For foreign language learners, they will make little progess in language learning without enough vocabulary. Among many internal and external factors influencing vocabulary acquisition, learners’ self-regulatory capacity has aroused extensive attention. This research mainly attempts to explore English majors’ self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning, using “Questionnaire on Self-Regulatory Capacity in English Vocabulary Learning” designed by Wen-ta Tseng, Zoltan D?rnyei and Norbert Schmitt in 2006. Based on the Metacognitive Theory, this research uses quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate four research questions: 1) What is the current situation of English majors’ self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning? 2) Is there any gender difference in English majors’ self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning? If yes, what is it? 3) Is there any grade difference in English majors’ self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning? If yes, what is it? 4) What are the other factors that may influence English majors’ self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning?In the study, 130 English major students from two schools are randomly chosen. Descriptive analysis is conducted through the questionnaire to answer the first question. In answering the second and third questions, both descriptive analysis and independent samples T-test are used in order to compare the differences between gender and grade in self-regulatory capacity of vocabulary learning(SRCV). The qualitative data is used to find the underlying factors influencing English majors’ self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning.The results of data analysis show that 1) over eighty percent of the English students have medium level of self-regulatory capacity(SRC), while a few of them possess high and low SRC. 2) although there is no obvious significant gender difference in English majors’ self-regulatory capacity in vocabulary learning, as for the five dimensions of SRCV, the mean score of female subjects got in each dimension of SRCV is a little higher than that of male ones. Besides, highly significant differences exist in environment control dimension between females and males. 3) although there is no evident grade difference in SRCV, the mean score of different grades exists tiny differences. 4) interest, self-confidence, vocabulary learning strategies and learning environment are the main factors influencing English majors’ self-regulatory capacity.These findings can give some instructive advice for English vocabulary teaching and student learning.