An investigation into learing autonomy in Engliah vocabulary learning among grade 12 students

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

DO THI NU

AN INVESTIGATION INTO LEARNING AUTONOMY

IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING

AMONG GRADE 12 STUDENTS

M.A. THESIS

Field: English Linguistics

Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN – 2020

ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN

TRƯỜNG NGOẠI NGỮ

ĐỖ THỊ NỤ

NGHIÊN CỨU NĂNG LỰC TỰ HỌC TỪ VỰNG

TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 12

LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ

Ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh

Mã số: 8220201

THÁI NGUYÊN - 2020

i

DECLARATION

I declare that this research report entitled ―An investigation into learning

autonomy in English vocabulary learning among grade 12 students‖ has been

composed by myself, and described my own work, unless otherwise acknowledged

in the text. I confirm that this work is submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of master at School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen

University. This work has not been and will not submitted for any other degree at

any other institution of higher education.

Approved by

SUPERVISOR

Nguyen Thi Que, PhD

Author’s signature

D

Do Thi Nu

Date: November, 2020

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am deeply indebted to a number of people for helping me to make this M.A

thesis possible.

First and foremost, my deepest gratitude goes to Dr. Nguyen Thi Que my

supervisor, who supported and encouraged me generously throughout this study.

Without her excellent academic guidance and support, my thesis would not have

been completed.

I would like to sincerely thank the anonymous participants who contributed

data to this study. Without their outstanding cooperation, this thesis would not have

been completed.

My appreciation is also extended to a number of staff members of Ly Nam

De high school for their assistance is statistical issues and for their assistance in

editing work.

I would like to thank my family, especially my parents and my husband for

their constant source of love, support and encouragement in times of difficulty and

frustration.

Finally, I would like to thank my readers for their interests and comments on

this thesis.

While I am deeply indebted to all these people for their help to the

completion of this thesis, I myself remain responsible for any inadequacies that are

found in this work.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION .........................................................................................................i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................... iii

LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................v

LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................vi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS...................................................................................vii

ABSTRACT............................................................................................................ viii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION............................................................................1

1.1. Rationale ..............................................................................................................1

1.2. Statements of the problems and aims of the study...............................................3

1.3. Scope of the study ................................................................................................4

1.4 Significance of study.............................................................................................4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................5

2.1. Learning autonomy ..............................................................................................5

2.1.1 Learner autonomy in language learning ......................................................7

2.1.2 Learner autonomy........................................................................................8

2.1.3 Level of learning autonomy.........................................................................9

2.1.4 Characteristics of autonomous language learners .....................................13

2.2 Factors affecting learner autonomy.....................................................................13

2.2.1 The Role of Learner Themselves ..............................................................13

2.2.2 The Role of Teachers.................................................................................14

2.2.3 Learner motivation and attitude.................................................................15

2.2.4 Self-regulation ...........................................................................................15

2.2.5 Self-efficacy...............................................................................................15

2.2.6 Self-determination .....................................................................................16

2.3 Vocabulary learning strategies............................................................................16

2.3.1 Language learning strategies.....................................................................17

2.3.2 Classification of vocabulary learning strategies........................................18

2.4 Previous Studies..................................................................................................25

iv

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................29

3.1. Research Design.................................................................................................29

3.2. Subjects and locale of the study.........................................................................29

3.3. Research Instruments.........................................................................................29

3.3.1. Checklist: Learner‘s Autonomy Questionnaire (LAQ)............................30

3.3.2. Questionnaire: Vocabulary Learning Strategies Questionnaire (VLSQ) .....30

3.4. Data Gathering Procedure ..................................................................................31

3.5. Data analytical method.......................................................................................31

CHAPTER 4: PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION, AND ANALYSIS

OF DATA.................................................................................................................33

4.1. Demographic information of the participants....................................................33

4.2. The use of students‘ vocabulary learning strategies ..........................................34

4.2.1 General Vocabulary learning strategies by participants............................34

4.2.2 Specific Vocabulary learning strategies by participants ...........................35

4.3. Levels of learner autonomy................................................................................42

4.4. Relationship between learner autonomy and students‘ uses of vocabulary

learning strategies......................................................................................................47

4.4.1. The results of determining the form, direction and degree of

correlation on a graph and by regression analysis..............................................47

4.4.2. The results of determining the relationship between the students‘ uses

of VLS and their levels of learning autonomy with Paired Samples T-test.......51

4.4.3. Summary...................................................................................................52

CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS........................................................................................54

5.1 Summary of findings...........................................................................................54

5.2. Conclusion..........................................................................................................55

5.3. Recommendations..............................................................................................56

5.4. Limitations of the study and suggestions for further research:..........................57

REFERENCES........................................................................................................58

APPENDIX 1 ...........................................................................................................62

v

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1. Students' background information.........................................................33

Table 4.2: General Vocabulary learning strategies by participants........................34

Table 4.3: Memory strategies employed by participants........................................35

Table 4.4. Determination strategies employed by participants: .............................37

Table 4.5: Social strategies employed by participants ...........................................38

Table 4.6: Cognitive strategies employed by participants......................................39

Table 4.7: Metacognitive Strategies employed by participants..............................40

Table 4.8: Learner autonomy checklist ..................................................................43

Table 4.9: The results of regression of analyses between the students‘

learning autonomy and their uses of vocabulary learning strategies ....49

Table 4.10: Model Summary ....................................................................................49

Table 4.11: Coefficient size in the pattern................................................................50

Table 4.12. Mean and SD of the scores of the two variables Paired Samples

Statistics.................................................................................................51

Table 4.13: The correlation between students' uses of Vocab learning

strategies and Levels of learners' autonomy..........................................51

Table 4.14: The Paired Samples Test Analysis of the scores between 2

variables.................................................................................................52