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In China, English is a compulsory subject for junior school students, and expanding English vocabulary knowledge is one of the fundamental goals of learning English. Due to various reasons, lacking of vocabulary has been a problem faced by many students. Firstly, since English is only one of many subjects taught in Chinese middle schools, students cannot spare too much time on English, let alone English vocabulary because it is is just a part of English learning. Secondly, students have limited contact to English because of students’ mother tongue. Students learn vocabulary mainly from their textbook when they have English classes. The lack of productive knowledge will restrict students’ study, especially when they proceed to understand which they are often required to discuss and present in English. Thirdly, both teachers and students have not paid much attention to vocabulary acquisition because the focus of English teaching in junior school is the practice of students’ four basic language skills. Though some new words are taught in class by explaining their meanings in possible ways, students’ acquisition of words are still limited.
2. Literature Review
2.1 Definitions and Classifications of Learning Strategies
When our knowledge of second language acquisition has increased a lot, teachers and researchers come to realize that no single method of language teaching would make the start of utopia of absolute and predictable success in teaching a second language. So the focal point of researches shifts from “what to teach” to “how to learn”. In contrast to this new angle of view, how learners process new information, what kinds of strategies they employ to understand and learn of remembering the information has been the primary concern of the researchers dealing with the area of foreign language learning (Ahmed,M.O 1989) . In 1966, Carton published his study entitled the Method of Inference in Foreign Language Study, which was the first attempt on learning strategies.
Most definitions declare that strategies can help facilitate language learning, there are two different definitions of learning strategies. One is whether strategies are behavioral or mental. For example, Oxford(1989) defines them as behavioral, whereas Weinstein and Mayer(1986) see them as both mental and behavioral. Others such as Ellis(1994) and O’Malley and Chamot’s(1990) regard them as mental or behavioral. Among these studies,the definition of Oxford(1989) is accepted because it emphasizes two issues, effciency and autonomy,which are the final aims of vocabulary. Perhaps the most comprehensive classification of learning strategies is that provided by him. She draw a general distinction between direct and indirect strategies. The former consist of “strategies that directly involve the target language” while the latter one “provide indirect support support of language learning through focusing, planning, evaluating, seeking opportunities, controlling anxiety, increasing cooperation and empathy and other means”. The following is the framework of Oxford’s classification.源:自/751-·论,文'网·www.751com.cn/
2.2 Studies on Learning Strategies at Home and Abroad
In most of the research on language learning strategies, the primary concern has been on “identifying what good language learners report they do to learn a second or foreign language, or, in some case, are observed doing while learning a second or foreign language”(Wende & Rubin, 1987). Hance, many of the earlier studies of teaching strategies were exploratory, aiming at identifying and describing abroad range of strategies. Some researchers take part in finding strategies specifically used by successful language learners or characteristics of successful learners(Rubin 1975,Naiman et al, 1987).
Vocabulary is an indispensable trammel in English learning. Traditional teaching focuses on grammar structure and though special emphasize that was put on vocabulary, it concentrated on word’s surface meaning. Since the late 1970s, a reemergence of interest on vocabulary teaching strategies has been seen in the West. Most of the researches on vocabulary teaching strategies have explored various of vocabulary presentation and their corresponding effectiveness in retention(Meara, 1980).