Teaching and learning vocabulary strategies in an algerian efl context

Abstract

This study investigates the teaching and learning of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) in an Algerian EFL context; the case of third year students at l’ENSC (l’Ecole Normale Supérieure de Constantine). Three major questions about ENSC students’ use of different vocabulary learning strategies, the impact of their proficiency level on such use as well as the effect of strategy training on learners with a lower proficiency level are raised at the onset of the study. On this basis, three main hypotheses are formulated. Firstly, ENSC students make use of different VLS but some strategies, such as dictionary use are more common among students than other strategies. Secondly, students’ proficiency level may have an impact both on the quantity and quality of the strategies in use. Thirdly, strategy training may have a positive impact on students’ use of the strategies under study. The study population consisted of twenty (20) third year students from the English department at l’ENSC. The participants were divided into two groups of ten students each, representing successful and less successful learners. In the second stage of the investigation, only ten students (less successful learners) took part. To test the stated hypotheses, the study employed two main tools of investigation: focus groups and a strategy training program, each of them was carried out through further sub tools. In the first phase; focus group discussions, direct observation of learners’ behaviours while performing reading tasks, verbal reporting from the participants about the strategies they made use of in addition to two vocabulary tests were administered in each group separately. In the second phase, a pre- and a post-test were administered at the beginning and at the end of the training respectively. The results show that ENSC students’ use of various VLS corresponds to Shmitt’s (2000) classification. Two strategies, in particular; ‘dictionary use’ and ‘contextual guessing’, are most common among students in the population of the study, but at the same time carried out differently by higher and lower achievers. The results also show that successful learners use more strategies and more strategy types than less successful learners. In addition, results of the pre-and post tests show that the training program has had a positive impact on less successful learners’ performance in relation to the strategies under study.