The effectiveness of vocabulary learning strategies from the views of efl students and teachers in the Thai learning contex

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to explore which Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS) were perceived to be effective among the learners who have different English learning achievement, and which strategies were actually used by learners who have high achievement in Vocabulary Learning (VL). Another purpose was to investigate the perception of the Mattayom.2 English teachers about the significance of VLS in language learning achievement.

The research utilised a mix-method approach withThe research utilised a mix-method approach with a quantitative survey and semi-structured interview. The survey was conducted to examine perceptions about effective VLS perceived by M.2 students (Grade 8), and to examine the extent to which the perceptions vary according to the students’ reported English learning achievement. The interview was conducted with participants selected from the total number of students based on their performance on a quiz. In addition, the interview was also conducted with individual M.2 English teachers. The findings revealed that the majority of students reported their perception of effectiveness toward overall VLS at the moderate level (mean score of 3.579). Considerably, there were 15 VLS out of 20 VLS reported in which students having different levels of achievement (low, moderate, and high) in language learning do significantly perceive different VLS. In addition, the results from students’ interviews showed that the actual use of VLS depended on individual variation of choosing strategies. Teachers believe that VLS play an important role in language learning, and also the teaching approaches are very significant for students’ achievement.