This study aims at identifying the effect of using vocabulary learning strategy on learners' vocabulary memory.
First of all, the first chapter introduces the need of studies on Korean vocabulary learning strategy and specific research purposes, pre...
This study aims at identifying the effect of using vocabulary learning strategy on learners' vocabulary memory.
First of all, the first chapter introduces the need of studies on Korean vocabulary learning strategy and specific research purposes, previous studies on vocabulary learning strategy, and research questions. The second chapter as theoretical background of this research summarizes general vocabulary learning, vocabulary learning strategy, and theories of vocabulary learning and memory. The third chapter designs experiments for this research, introduces methods of experiments, and prepare experimental tools. Then, the results of the experiments are analyzed. Based on the results in Chapter 3, Chapter 4 proves questions of this research, discuss them sequentially and draws educational implication. Finally, Chapter 5 summarizes this research and finishes this research by putting forward future studies.
Thus, the main results of this research are as follows;
Firstly, post immediate and delay tests were conducted in order to measure short term and long term memory of experimental group with students who used vocabulary learning strategies and the control group with students who did not used special vocabulary learning strategy. The results of post immediate test measuring short term memory were high in the experimental group in the first, second and third experiment, but the differences of average between two groups are not at the significant level. However, among two post delay tests in order to measure long term memory, the second test show that the average of the experimental group was higher than that of control group and the differences of the average is significant level. This confirmed that use of vocabulary learning strategy is more effective in learners' long term memory.
Secondly, use of the strategy of looking up the dictionary among the strategies that learners who learn foreign languages including Korean language prefer is effective in short term memory in remembering vocabulary for learners, but it is not effective in long term memory.
Thirdly, not only learning vocabulary individually but also the strategy of guessing in the context, which helps learning vocabulary in the context, do not have effect on short and long term memories, which illustrates that learners had to learn too much including only studying vocabulary but also sentences that were provided to guess the meaning of the words so they could not concentrate on learning vocabulary.
Fourthly, use of the strategy of connecting associational words that may help learners in remembering words by applying learners' background knowledge does not have significant effect in remembering words in a short period for time for learners, but it was very positive in remembering words for a long time for learners.
Fifthly, the strategy of looking up the dictionary is effective strategy in terms of the fact that they can move from a stage of understanding words to a stage of using them, although learners' preference is low. However, it is not effective in short or long term memory for learners' vocabulary memory. This possibly gave a burden to learners because they are not used to make a sentence by using newly learned vocabulary so they could not concentrate on learning vocabulary.
This study may have a limitation in generalizing the results because of the number of students who participated in the experiment and several problems in the process. Despite such limitations, this research provides suggestions on learning vocabulary in Korean language education by proving the need and effect of vocabulary learning strategy. In addition, it also suggests the need of following studies that examines more various vocabulary learning strategy.