VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES AND VOCABULARY SIZE OF PRE-UNIVERSITY ESL LEARNERS AT THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC

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VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES AND VOCABULARY SIZE OF PRE-UNIVERSITY ESL LEARNERS AT THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC

UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

BY

SANA ACHOUI

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Teaching of

English as a Second Language)

Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

International Islamic University Malaysia

JANUARY 2013

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ABSTRACT

Knowing the importance of vocabularies and vocabulary learning strategies (VLS), this study attempts to determine the vocabulary size of pre-university students and their preferred vocabulary learning strategies (VLS). The aim of this study was to examine the vocabulary learning strategies used by pre- university ESL learners and to investigate if there is any relationship between the learners’ vocabulary learning strategies and their vocabulary size. It also investigates if there is any effect of the vocabulary learning strategies on the vocabulary size of these ESL learners. 128 pre- university students (level 6 students – upper intermediate level) taking an intensive English course at the Centre for language and Pre-university development (CELPAD) were involved in the study. A vocabulary learning questionnaire based on Schmitt’s taxonomy (1997) and a vocabulary test based on Nation’s (2001) vocabulary size were used for data collection. The results of this study suggest that the ESL pre-university students preferred the discovery meaning category which was essential for their vocabulary development and learning. The most used strategies were “guessing the meaning of a new word from context” and “the use of the English-language media”

while the least preferred strategy was “ask English teacher to check my flash cards or word lists for accuracy”. Results also showed that the majority (64.8%) of the students were considered as intermediate learners with vocabulary size score range of 6100- 8100. Nevertheless, the most important finding of this study reveals that from the 58 strategies, only four strategies showed correlation and significant contributions (p<

0.05) towards the learners’ total vocabulary size.

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ثحبلا ةصلاخ

ةيهملأ ارظن و ةغللا تادرفم

يجيتاترسا ( تادرفلما ملعت تا

لىإ ةساردلا هذه ىعست ،)

VLS

لاا ديدتح يجيتاترس

.ةيوغللا ةلصلمحاو ةعماجلل ةييرضحتلا ةلحرلما بلاط ىدل ةلضفلما تا

ّنإ يجيتاترس لاا كلت صحفوه ةساردلا هذه نم فدلها ةغللا( بلاط اهمدختسي تيلا تا

ةيزيلنجلإا اهفصوب

ةيناث ةغل لاو )

ESL

دوجو نم ققحت

،ةيوغللا ةلصلمحا ينبو اهنيب ةقلاع

و لاا رثأ ةفرعم لىإ اضيأ ةساردلا فدته يجيتاترس

اهوراتخا تيلا تا في

ةيوغللا مهتلصمح ،

دقو ةساردلا تلشم 821

)طسوتلما قوف( سداسلا ىوتسلما نم ابلاط في

ةغللا ريوطت زكرم(

ةعماجلل ةييرضحتلا ةلحرلماو

CELPAD

،) دادعإ تم دقو أ

ءاتفتسا جذونم ـل اقبط

فينصت(

تيميِش

Schmitt’s taxonomy

، 8991 )

نم تادرفملل رابتخا يرجُأو ،تانايبلا عجم لجأ

ةقيرط ىلع نوشين(

Nation’s

، 2008 ةيوغللا ةلصلمحا سايقل )

نأ لىإ ةساردلا تصُلَخ و ،

ةيزيلنجلإا ةغلل ةييرضحتلا ةلحرلما بلاط اهفصوب

ناث ةغل نولضفي ةي يجيتاترسا

نع ثحبلا ة

و مهتغل ريوطت في تهماس تيلا ةيساسلأا ةقيرطلا يهو ،ةفنصلما تادرفلما نياعم ّونم

مهتلصمح

ةيوغللا تناكو ، اًراشتنا تايجيتاترسلاا رثكأ

ةيجيتاترسا يه قايس نم ةملكلا نىعم ينمتخ

تناك ينح في ،ةيزيلنجلإا ملاعلإا لئاسو مادختساو ،صنلا اترسا

يجيت نع ملعلما لاؤس ة

لقلأا اهتقد ىدمو ةركاذلا في ةنزتخلما تادرفلما و ،اًّظح

ةيبلاغ نأ اًضيأ ةساردلا جئاتن ترهظأ

( ةبسنب بلاطلا 8..1

ينب ام حواترت ةيوغل ةلصحبم ىوتسلما وطسوتم مه )%

8800 -

1800 عبرأ نأ يه ةساردلا هذله ةجيتن مهأ نإف ،لاح ةيأ ىلعو .

تايجيتاترسا طقف

نم

ينب

81

يجيتاترسا

.بلاطلل ةيوغللا ةلصلمحا ينستح في ةحضاو ةهماسمو اًطابترا تدبأ ،ة

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APPROVAL PAGE

I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Teaching of English as a Second Language)

...

Ainon Jariah Muhamad Supervisor

I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Teaching of English as a Second Language)

...

Mohamed Ismail Ahamed Shah

Examiner

This dissertation was submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Teaching of English as a Second Language)

...

Zahariah Pilus

Head, Department of English Language & Literature

This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (Teaching of English as a Second Language)

...

Mahmood Zuhdi Ab. Majid Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge &

Human Sciences

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.

Sana Achoui

Signature ……… Date ………

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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH

VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES AND VOCABULARY SIZE OF PRE-UNIVERSITY ESL LEARNERS AT THE INTERNATIONAL

UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

I hereby affirm that The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) holds all rights in the copyright of this work and henceforth any reproduction or use in any form or by means whatsoever is prohibited without the written consent of IIUM. No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Affirmed by Sana Achoui

……… ………..

Signature Date

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All praise to Allah the most merciful for giving me the strength, patience and guidance to complete this research. This work would have not been possible without His help.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Ainon Jariah Mohamad for her continuous support, patience, motivation and immense knowledge throughout my research.

I would also like to thank CELPAD teachers for giving me their class time to conduct the study and level 6 students for their patience in participating in this research.

I am very thankful to my best friends Nur Hazwani and Nik Zuraihan for helping me in collecting my data and for being with me through it all and encouraging me to continue instead of giving up.

Lastly, I am grateful to my father in particular for enlightening me with his view and opinion on the research. I would like to thank my beloved parents for supporting me financially and spiritually throughout my life and my dear brothers and sisters for trusting me, praying for me and supporting me throughout my study.

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CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ... 10

2.1 Introduction ... 10

2.2 Vocabulary ... 10

2.3 Second Language Vocabulary Learning... 12

2.4 Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS) ... 13

2.5 Studies on Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Vocabulary Size ... 20

2.6 Gaps in the Literature ... 22

2.7 The Framework on the Study ... 24

2.7.1 Schmitt’s Taxonomy ... 25

2.7.2 Nation’s Vocabulary Size Test ... 27

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ... 29

3.2 Data Collection ... 29

3.2.1 Participants ... 29

3.2.2 Research instruments ... 30

3.2.2.1 Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS) questionnaire ... 31

3.2.2.2 Vocabulary Size test (VST) ... 34

3.2.3 Procedure ... 36

3.3 Data Analysis ... 37

3.3.1 Statistical Procedures ... 37

3.3.2 Independent Variables ... 37

3.3.3 Dependent Variable ... 38

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CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ... 39

4.1 Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by English Second Language (ESL) Learners ... 39

4.1.1 Vocabulary Learning Strategy use based on Discovery meaning and Consolidate meaning categories ... 39

4.1.2 Vocabulary Learning Strategy use based on groups of strategies ... 41

4.1.2.1 Determination Strategies Group ... 43

4.1.2.2 Social Strategies Group ... 45

4.1.2.3 Memory Strategies Group ... 47

4.1.2.4 Cognitive Strategies Group ... 49

4.1.2.5 Metacognitive Strategies Group ... 50

4.1.3 The most and the least used strategies by ESL learners ... 51

4.2 The Vocabulary size of the Pre-University ESL Learners ... 56

4.2.1 Vocabulary Learning Strategies use of Learners with high and low vocabulary size ... 58

4.3 The Relationship Between Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Vocabulary Size of ESL Learners ... 60

4.4 Summary ... 63

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION ... 65

5.2 Research Conclusion ... 65

5.3 Limitation of the Study ... 68

5.4 Recommendations for Further Studies ... 68

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 70

APPENDIX 1: Questionnaire on the Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies ... 74

APPENDIX II: Vocabulary Size Test ... 78

APPENDIX III: The results of the significance... 92

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LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Page No.

3.1 Gender distribution of respondents 29

3.2 Age distribution of respondents 30

3.3 Adapted questions from Schmitt’s 1997 Taxonomy 33

3.4 Reliability Statistics 34

3.5 Vocabulary size and level of proficiency 35

4.1 Mean and SD of discovery meaning and consolidating meaning 40 4.2 Mean and Standard Deviation of the six groups of strategies 40 4.3 Mean, Standard Deviation and Rank order of Use of VLS 42

4.4 Determination strategies group 43

4.5 Social strategies group: discovery of new word’s meaning 45 4.6 Social strategies group: consolidation of word’s meaning 46

4.7 Memory strategies group 47

4.8 Cognitive strategies group 49

4.9 Meta-cognitive strategies group 50

4.10 The most used strategies by pre-university ESL learners 52 4.11 The least used strategies by pre-university ESL learners 55 4.12 Percentage and Level of Respondents' Vocabulary Size 57

4.13 Students' Average Score Vocabulary Size Test 58

4.14 Correlations (Pearson r) between the mean scores of

vocabulary size test and the frequency of use of vocabulary

learning strategies 61

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Page No.

2.1 The framework of this study 25

2.2 Schmitt’s taxonomy 27

4.1 The most used strategies by pre-university ESL learners 53

4.2 Vocabulary size score of ESL learners 58

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

This chapter gives a brief introduction to my study which focuses on Second language learners of English. It covers the background of the study, the statement of the problem, both the objectives and the research questions of the study, the significance of the study, the conceptual definitions and the organization of this thesis.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Learning a language requires a learner to be able to master the vocabulary of the language. In order for language learners to be able to master a language, they are required to have a wide array of target words. This is crucial to ensure that they will be able to successfully tackle both comprehension and production activities in learning a second language. Nation (1993), cited in Nation & Warings (1997) clarifies that, ―vocabulary knowledge enables language use, language use enables the increase of vocabulary knowledge, knowledge of the world enables the increase of vocabulary knowledge and language use and so on‖ (p. 6).

Vocabulary is an important element of a language and vocabulary learning is an essential part of second language learning. However, this could be one of the major challenges that the learners face during the process of acquiring a language. As stated by Fan (2003: 2), ―vocabulary forms the biggest art of the meaning of any language, and vocabulary is the biggest problem for most learners‖. Based on Fan‘s statement, it is evident that vocabulary is essential for successful communication in any language. In addition, McCarthy (1992) emphasizes that ―without words to express a

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wider range of meanings, communication in L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way‖ (p.50). Apart from that, the study of Azadeh Asgari and Ghazali Mustapha (2011) strongly indicates that lack of vocabulary knowledge will have an effect on the four language skills such as listening, reading, writing, and speaking. It is believed that vocabulary is the essence of a language, and insufficient vocabulary could lead to difficulties in learning the second language.

Vocabulary learning is an ongoing process which needs time and practice.

These two essences are very important in order to ensure that learners are able to master a language. Some teachers believe that vocabulary learning is an easy process, yet most of the second language learners admit that learning new vocabulary items has always been challenging. In order for a learner to be able to comprehend a language, he or she has to possess sufficient amount of vocabulary. One cannot understand a text without knowing what most of the words mean, similarly one cannot understand what has been said if the learner does not know the words. When students encounter an unfamiliar texts or words in English, the first challenge faced by the learners is vocabulary. This significantly shows that the limitation of understanding a text or a speech is caused by insufficient vocabulary. Therefore, there is a need for teachers to teach vocabulary and for the learners to learn them. Laufer and Yano (2001: 549) add that learning vocabulary is a continuous process, where learners have to learn by themselves and not restrict it only in the classroom setting.

Generally, most language learners are aware of the importance of vocabulary and most of them have always believed that vocabulary is one of the language aspects that are difficult to be dealt with. A teacher or a language instructor can only have little impact on the learners‘ ability to master the language, specifically vocabulary, since the process of acquiring vocabulary should not only occur in a formal classroom

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setting. In support of the statement, Sokmen (1997: 225) states that it is ―not possible for students to learn all the vocabulary they need in the classroom‖. Thus, learners need to find their own initiatives and alternatives in order to help them gain and improve their vocabulary. One of the ways to help learners enhance their knowledge of L2 vocabulary is through equipping them with a variety of vocabulary learning strategies. As has been suggested, teaching vocabulary should not only consist of teaching specific words but also aim at equipping learners with strategies necessary to expand their vocabulary knowledge (Nation, 2001). In order to satisfy the need to aid language learners in vocabulary learning, students must be able to find their own suitable vocabulary learning strategies to help them learn more vocabularies. These vocabulary learning strategies are tools to facilitate second language learning as well as to assist learners to be independent and successful learners.

Vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) should be acquired so that learners can learn words autonomously. There are various vocabulary strategies that the learners can apply in their learning process such as, guessing from context, using monolingual or bilingual dictionaries, applying mnemonic techniques, note taking and using English-language media. In addition, vocabulary learning can also be improved with group learning or through cooperative learning, such as asking a teacher for a first language translation, ask classmates or friends for the meaning of a word and speaking to native speakers. These are among the strategies that have been proven to be very useful in improving vocabulary learning (Nation, 1990). Gu (2003) supported this statement by emphasizing that ―acquiring vocabulary is a very learner-centered activity with the effectiveness of the learner‘s strategies depending on his or her attitude towards new vocabulary acquisition‖ (p. 2). Thus, language learners have to

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play their own role in acquiring vocabulary not only in a formal learning environment, but also in an informal environment by using vocabulary learning strategies.

Vocabulary learning strategies will also be one of the ways to increase second language learners‘ vocabulary size. Nation (2001: 222) believes that a large amount of vocabulary can be acquired with the help of vocabulary learning strategies and these strategies have proved to be useful for students of different language levels. By using a number of different vocabulary learning strategies, second language learners would be able to obtain a bigger vocabulary size which will allow them to speak and write English more naturally and effectively. However, in order to have a ―good vocabulary size‖, it does not mean that one must learn thousands of single words. Good vocabulary size is about knowing word families. For instance, most native speakers know only a small number of all of the English words, yet they manage to convey their message across effectively using the correct vocabulary. One of the alternatives for language learners to expand their vocabulary size is through reading, and with the combination of a raised awareness of vocabulary learning strategies, learners can expand their vocabulary size (Nation & Waring, 1997). Vocabulary size is a strong predictor of language comprehension.

In view of the importance of vocabulary learning strategies in enhansing second language learners‘ ability to communicate in English, it is useful to investigate the frequency of vocabulary learning strategies used by the second language learners and how these strategies help to build their vocabulary. It is also useful to investigate whether there is a relationship between the English Second Language (ESL) learners‘

vocabulary learning strategies and their vocabulary size.

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5 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Even though students, teachers, material writers, and researchers can all agree that vocabulary is essential in learning a second language, they are still unclear about the best means that can be used to facilitate the process of achieving good vocabulary learning (Schmitt, 1997). There are no specific techniques or methods being used to clearly indicate the best way to learn and teach vocabulary. Apart from that, it is stated that vocabulary learning is the biggest problem for most second language learners, nonetheless there is still little emphasis given to this area in the curriculum (Fan, 2003). The lack of emphasis given to this area leads to learners‘ inadequacy in vocabulary knowledge that hinders their performance in mastering the language. As stated in Azadeh Asgari & Ghazali Mustapha‘s (2011) study, L2 learners still have insufficient knowledge of vocabulary even though most of them believe that vocabulary is extremely important.

Generally, the emphasis on English teaching in the educational curriculum is based on the four language skills such as reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Vocabulary teaching and learning are not emphasized in the classroom setting since most of the time, the teaching and learning of vocabulary is largely incidental (Fan, 2003; Catalan, 2003). For instance, when a particular word or phrase appears to be difficult for the students, they are told the definition. However, finding out about new vocabulary items is generally left to the learners‘ discretion, and most of the time they are encouraged to turn to dictionaries to look up for the meanings of words (Catalan, 2003). This leads to difficulty in mastering the four language skills such as reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Fan (2003) further states that the inadequacy in lexical knowledge may hinder students‘ proficiency development and affect their performances in the target language (L2). Apart from that, another possible reason for

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lack of mastery in the language may also be caused by the environmental limitations that do not offer the opportunities for second language learners to learn the language naturally. In the case of vocabulary learning, exposure to the lexical items of the language will help the acquisition process. Schmitt (1997) confirms that lexical acquisition requires multiple exposures to a word.

Thus, there is a need to investigate the vocabulary learning strategies used by language learners, especially those from the input-poor target language environment, in the effort to help overcome learners‘ difficulties in acquiring vocabulary and towards more effective use of the vocabulary learning strategies.

1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The study aims to examine the vocabulary learning strategies used by pre- university ESL learners and to investigate if there is any relationship between the learners‘

vocabulary learning strategies and their vocabulary size. It also investigates if there is any effect of the vocabulary learning strategies on the vocabulary size of these ESL learners.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In order to achieve the purposes of this study, the following research questions are probed:

1. What are the vocabulary learning strategies used bythe pre-university ESL learners?

2. What is the vocabulary size of the pre-university ESL learners?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary size of the pre-university ESL learners?

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7 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

This study aims to examine the vocabulary learning strategies used by second language learners in learning their second language and simultaneously hopes to increase learners‘ awareness on the usefulness of effective vocabulary learning strategies as tools to manage their vocabulary learning. The findings of this study will contribute in helping the second language learners to be aware of various vocabulary learning strategies that can be applied throughout their learning process so that they will become more motivated and independent learners. Furthermore, there is also a need for this study to be conducted in order to help teachers understand the strategies employed by students in helping them to learn new vocabularies. It is also hoped that the findings of this study will give teachers better insight into the vocabulary learning strategies employed by learners. In addition, it will also allow educators to match teaching and learning so as to develop students‘ potentials in ESL learning, and to assist students to be aware of the ways that can help them learn better. Moreover, the understanding of the students‘ beliefs of vocabulary learning and their vocabulary learning strategy usage will enable teachers and researchers to design appropriate materials and activities to help them improve their vocabulary learning and simultaneously enhance their lexical competence. Therefore, conducting this study will help towards enhancing learners‘ lexical competence as well as facilitating the teaching and learning process.

1.6 CONCEPTUAL DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY Vocabulary learning strategies

Vocabulary Learning Strategies can be considered as a subset of general learning strategies in second language acquisition. Schmitt (1997: 203) defines learning

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strategies as ―the process by which information is obtained, stored, retrieved and used‖. Nation (2001: 217) adds that ―vocabulary learning strategies are a part of language learning strategies which in turn is a part of general learning strategies‖. He listed the characteristics of vocabulary learning strategies by stating that, ―a strategy would need to involve choice, that is, there are several strategies to choose from, be complex, that is, there are several steps to learn, require knowledge and benefit from training, and increase the efficiency of vocabulary learning and vocabulary use.‖

(Nation, 2001: 217).

Vocabulary size

According to Nation (2001: 13), vocabulary size is defined as ―the number of words of which the learner knows at least some significant aspects of the meaning…namely how well a particular word is known‖. In other words, the more words a learner knows, ―the less frequently occurring are the next words he or she needs to learn‖

(Nation, 2001: 67). It is one of the indicators of how well the second language (L2) learners can perform in academic language skills such as, reading, speaking, and writing.

1.7 ORGANIZATION OF THESIS

The thesis is composed of five chapters including this chapter. Chapter two discusses the literature relevant to language learning strategies, specifically the vocabulary learning strategies. This is followed by previous studies and the theoretical framework of this study. Chapter three provides the present research methodology which includes a description of the research approach, the population and sampling design, followed by the data collection and the data analysis procedure. Chapter four presents the

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findings and discussion of the study. A quantitative data analysis is used to analyse the questionnaire and the vocabulary size test. Finally, Chapter five presents the conclusion and the limitations of the study as well as recommendations for further studies.

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CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 INTRODUCTION

There are two main purposes of the present study. The first is to investigate the vocabulary learning strategies used by second language learners from various L1 backgrounds. The second purpose is to investigate the learners‘ vocabulary size. In order to establish the research questions of this study, the following literature review will examine issues related to vocabulary learning strategies in general. The discussion of this chapter will be divided into sub-categories which include the studies on vocabulary and second language vocabulary learning, followed by a summary of vocabulary learning strategies research, studies that have been carried out on both vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary size, and ends with the framework used in the present study.

2.2 VOCABULARY

In order to understand the concept of vocabulary acquisition, one must be able to understand the basic concepts of this field of study. There are two main questions crucial to the study; ―What is a ‗word‘ and what is considered knowing a word?‘‘

According to Read (2000), the ‗word‘ is not an easy concept to be defined whether theoretically or for multiple applied purposes, but can be referred to as a variety of lexical unit. Nevertheless, Nation (1990) adds that even if two similar words are used to apply different meanings, they are considered as two words. For example, the word

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society (as a noun) and Society (as a proper noun) are perceived as two words as they

carry different meanings in different contexts.

The next question is ―What is considered knowing a word?‖ Qian (2002) points out that over the years, lexical researchers have listed a number of criteria of how to understand the idea of what is involved in knowing a word. Read (2000) suggests that vocabulary knowledge involves knowing the meanings of words. He also mentions that, knowing a word also refers to the ability to recognize the multiple meanings of a word, to use the word appropriately and grammatically within context, and relate the word with other words which are semantically similar.

Apart from that, lexical researchers have classified vocabulary under two different categories: receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary. Fan (2000: 105- 119) has classified receptive vocabulary knowledge as the ―understanding of the meaning of the words and storing the words in memory‖. Nation (1990: 5) however, classifies receptive or passive vocabulary as ―the ability to recognize a word and recall its meaning when it is encountered‖. In addition, receptive or passive vocabulary can also be defined as the way the meaning of a word is retrieved and understood by the learner when he/she is exposed to written input (Nation, 2001).

On the other hand, productive vocabulary which is also known as active vocabulary refers to the ability to retrieve the needed vocabulary from memory by using them at an appropriate time and in an appropriate situation (Nation, 1990; Fan, 2000). Nation (2001) further explains that productive vocabulary (active) is the process of retrieving (receptive/ passive knowledge) and producing the appropriate written or spoken language form. In addition, it involves the process of knowing how to pronounce the word, how to write and spell and how to use it in correct grammatical patterns. These processes will occur when one is engaged in writing and

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speaking. It is therefore agreed that in order for learners to be able to master a language, they need to acquire sufficient vocabulary of that particular language. Apart from that, in order for them to be able to learn a language, they need to continuously learn the vocabulary of a language. In essence, vocabulary learning is a continuous learning process for language acquisition.

2.3 SECOND LANGUAGE VOCABULARY LEARNING

Vocabulary is identified as an important component in learning a second language (L2). The current research on second language vocabulary learning concludes that a large vocabulary is needed by L2 learners to effectively function in English. Nation (1999) discovers that L2 learners with advanced proficiency in English may generally be expected to have acquired a minimum productive English vocabulary of 2000 to 3000 word families for use in speaking and writing, along with slightly larger receptive vocabulary of 3000-5000 word families. However, Nation (2008) later suggests that a second language learner requires obtaining greater amount of ―8000- 9000 word families for reading (receptive skill) and as many as 5000-7000 word families for oral discourse (productive skill)‖ (p.329) to function in English.

According to Read (2000) and Nation (1990), a ―word family‖ refers to a set of word forms that consists of a base word, its inflected forms and a variety of derived forms, which are common in meaning. They further state that for L2 learners enrolling in higher institutions, the university word level with a vocabulary of about 5000 to 10000 words is a more realistic minimum size. Thus, anything below the university word level would most probably hamper the learning process. However, these figures are only estimations. Research (Nation, 2001; Laufer, 2010) revealed that the size presented above has become a lexical learning challenge in which most learners fail to

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meet. Even though most of the researchers, learners and teachers agree that learning vocabulary is an essential part of mastering a second language, they are still unclear of the best means of achieving good vocabulary learning. According to Schmitt (2008:

339), good vocabulary learning depends on a wide variety of factors. These include the involvement of the learners and teachers where they need to:

i) increase the frequency of exposure;

ii) increase attention focused on the lexical item;

iii) increase noticing of the lexical item;

iv) increase intention to learn the lexical item;

v) have a need/goal to learn or use the lexical item;

vi) increase the manipulation of the lexical items and its properties;

vii) increase amount of time spent engaging with the lexical item;

viii) increase the amount of interaction spent on the lexical item.

All of the factors mentioned above are believed to be able to facilitate vocabulary learning and teaching. In other words, anything that leads to more and better engagement with vocabulary should be able to improve learners‘ vocabulary learning. Based on these factors and many more, the current research on vocabulary learning has introduced the study of vocabulary learning strategies in which learners are better able to help themselves learn vocabulary by taking specific learning actions that are suitable with their learning ability.

2.4 VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES (VLS)

Even though vocabulary learning is crucial in helping second language learners learn a language, there are only a few studies that have been conducted on vocabulary learning strategies. However, quite a number of previous studies on language learning

VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES AND VOCABULARY SIZE OF PRE-UNIVERSITY ESL LEARNERS AT THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC