Academic english vocabulary learning strategies: Reflections by university students

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ACADEMIC ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING 
STRATEGIES: REFLECTIONS BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS 
Le Pham Hoai Huong* 
Hue University, Hue University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam 
Received: 08/08 /2018; Revised: 20/09/2018; Accepted: 20/12/2018 
Abstract: The present study was set out to investigate EFL university students’ reflections 
on the strategies for learning academic English words. Fifty-five students’ vocabulary 
learning journals were collected for data analysis. Each student filled a journal entry every 
day in a period of six days. Data from 330 entries revealed that the sources where students 
encountered academic words included university lectures, course materials and reference 
materials. Besides, the journal entries indicated the strategies students used to understand 
the meanings of the academic words. All the students claimed to look up dictionaries to 
know the meanings of words. A majority of them used the lexical familiarization strategy to 
guess the meanings of words from context and social strategy by asking other 
classmates/friends for the meanings of the academic words. The students also reported the 
employment of cognitive strategy with both written and verbal repetition to remember 
vocabulary. 
Key words: Academic English vocabulary, learning journal, strategy 
1. Introduction 
Academic words are defined as “lexical items [that] occur frequently and uniformly 
across a wide range of academic material” (Coxhead, 2000, p. 218). Academic vocabulary is 
considered to comprise some 8%-10% of running words in academic texts (Nation, 2001) and 
accounts for a relatively high proportion of running words in all academic texts (Yang, 2014). 
An academic word includes a stem plus “all inflections and the most frequent, productive, and 
regular prefixes and suffixes” (Coxhead, 2000, p. 218). For example, the create family consists 
of other words that include the inflected forms creates and created and the derivatives creative 
and creation. Clearly, it is essential for students at university who have to read a lot of academic 
texts to know academic vocabulary. Besides, a good knowledge of academic words is likely to 
assist learners in succeeding in their studies as well as future careers. 
2. Academic vocabulary learning strategies 
Vocabulary learning strategies in general have been investigated by quite a number of 
authors. It can be said that the taxonomies compiled by Nation (2001) and Schmitt (2000) 
seem to be rather comprehensive. Nation (2001) focused on the separate aspects of 
vocabulary knowledge (what is involved in knowing a word) from sources of vocabulary 
knowledge, and learning process. The taxonomy by Nation (2001) describes the three major 
issues in learning academic words including planning, finding information, and establishing 
knowledge. When planning, learning look for words to learn and decide how to learn them. 
When finding information about the words chosen to learn, learners examine the words by 
analyzing the words, using context, consulting a reference source in the first language and the 
* Email: quangandhuong@gmail.com 
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second language. When establishing knowledge of words, learners find ways to retrieve and 
generate meanings of words. 
Schmitt (2000) however divided vocabulary learning process into such categories as 
determination, social, memory, cognitive and metacognitive strategies. With the 
determination strategy, learners discover a new word’s meaning without recourse to another 
person’s expertise” (Schmitt, 1997, p. 205). Social strategy refers to the process of interactions 
that learners act out with others in discovering a word. As for memory strategy, learners try to 
remember words and consolidate them for later use. For cognitive strategy, learners link new 
information with existing knowledge, as well as to analyze and classify it. In this way, learners 
focus more on repetition and using mechanical means to study vocabulary. Some examples are 
written and verbal repetition word lists and flash cards, and study aids such as notes and labels. 
Lastly, metacognitive strategy involves a conscious overview of the learning process and 
making decisions about planning, mentoring, or evaluating the best ways to study. Learners 
should make use of books, magazines, newspapers, and movies in English as well as interact 
with native speakers to increase language input. 
Besides the strategies for learning vocabulary in general as reviewed above, it is 
necessary to discuss the strategies proposed by Bramki and Williams (1984) and Williams 
(1980), which are more specific to academic vocabulary learning. These strategies include 
inferring from context, unchaining nominal compounds, searching for synonyms, word analysis, 
and recognizing lexical familiarization devices. More specifically, Williams (1980) pointed out 
lexical familiarization involves several strategies for working out the meaning of some 
unfamiliar words occurring in scientific texts. Williams (1980, p. 314) described lexical 
familiarization as, “the author’s intention to familiarize the newly-introduced lexical items to 
the target reader, by verbal, illustrative or numerical devices, or any combination of these 
means”. In other words, lexical familiarization is defined as a contextual aid, intentionally 
provided by the author for a specific reader (Bramki& Williams, 1984). According to Bramki 
and Williams (1984), lexical familiarization is a sub-set category of guessing from context and 
it is a vocabulary recognition strategy. 
According to Bramki and Williams (1984, p. 175), the strategy of lexical familiarization 
consists of exemplification, explanation, stipulation, definition, and illustration. Exemplification 
provides the readers with an instance of what the newly-introduced term refers to by giving 
examples. Next, explanation provides more words, a phrase, a sentence or several sentences 
which are equivalent or opposed in meaning to the newly-introduced term. Another technique is 
stipulation which defines the particular meaning of a given word only in a given situation and 
that it does not necessarily have the same meaning in other situations. Synonymy provides the 
reader with a more familiar lexical item which has almost the same meaning. The last strategy 
of lexicalization is illustration which is a non-verbal method because it familiarizes the reader 
through tables, pictures, charts, and diagrams. It is a combination of a text and visual aids to 
clarify concepts. In a word, lexical familiarization is always adjacent with newly introduced 
words which are always written in different typefaces, such as italicization, bold form, 
underlining, or any other typographic device. As for Chung and Nation (2003), for academic 
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words, especially technical words, such strategies as recognizing, interpreting definitions, 
relating senses to a core meaning, and learning word parts can be employed. 
3. Previous studies 
 Some studies related to academic vocabulary learning strategies have been conducted. 
Lessard-Clouston (2008), for example, explored what kinds of academic vocabulary learning 
strategies were used by native and non-native English students of Christian Graduate School 
of Theology in Canada. The findings pointed out that the participants used such vocabulary 
learning strategies such as consulting to dictionary and glossary, practicing new words in 
paper, taking written notes in class, writing word lists, listing words in computer files, and 
making index and flash cards. They also listened to recordings or teachers, repeated the words 
orally and written, quizzing, and asked the new words to others. The author found that the 
participants used such vocabulary learning strategies as writing, using the lexical items, 
contextual associations to learn academic words (technical words in this study). Another finding 
of this study was that linguistic associations were present in the study but immediate or spaced 
repetition and imagery, were absent from the study results. Lessard-Clouston (2008) concluded 
that these learners need structured approaches in order to gain greater depth knowledge of the 
academic vocabulary in their field. 
The study by Akbari and Tahririan (2009) identified the vocabulary learning strategies 
used by the students in learning specialized (academic words) and non-specialized vocabulary. 
It involved 137 participants from paramedical undergraduates of Isfahan University of 
Medical Sciences in Iran. Data collection tools included observation, interview and 
questionnaire. Similar to the findings of the study by Lessard-Clouston (2008), this study 
found that the participants mostly used consolidating, dictionaries and repeating the words 
orally and written in learning both academic and general words. 
Nagy and Townsend (2012) pointed out that words are tools in the learning process. 
Strategies for learning academic vocabulary must use words as means for communicating and 
thinking about disciplinary contents. Therefore, learners must be provided with opportunities 
to use the instructed words for these purposes as they are learning them. Another study was 
carried out by Tran Huynh Thu Huong (2012) who examined the current situation of using 
strategies to broaden academic vocabulary and develop language skills of college students. The 
study found that the learners had a tendency in using less thinking strategies in learning 
academic vocabulary. Besides, they did not use the right strategies on the process of learning 
academic vocabulary. 
Given the fact that academic vocabulary is important in academic settings for university 
students and that few studies have been carried out to investigate the strategies for learning 
academic words, the current study was set out to fill this gap. The aim of the current study was 
to investigate the strategies that EFL students used in learning academic English words through 
their reflections in learning journals. 
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4. Research methodology 
The report of this study was part of a larger project in which both quantitative and 
quantitative research method were combined as they complemented each other to strengthen the 
robustness of studies (Creswell & Plano, 2011). Data collection tools included questionnaire, 
learning journal and interview. In the scope of this paper, only students’ reflections in their 
learning journals were analyzed for the report. 
According to Oxford and Crookall (1990) recording the words learned is necessary. 
When students write the journals for learning vocabulary, it is likely that they will remember the 
words longer. Besides, vocabulary learning journal can be used as a reference material inside 
and outside the class, which assists learners in retrieving words. 
In this study, students were given a journal with a guideline for recording the academic 
words that they learned daily. The students were instructed to look at the academic word list 
given which was compiled by the author. The software Range was used to run a corpus analysis 
(Coxhead, 2000) of 702,828 running words from nine books on English language teaching 
provided in the course material list of different universities around the world. The corpus 
analysis resulted in a list of 665 academic words specific to English language teaching. The 
students were asked to look at the list and to identify the words that they had learned and were 
included in the list. More importantly, they had to write in the journal how they learned the 
words. The guiding questions asked them where they met the words and how they learned the 
words. In total, 55 learning journals were collected for data analysis. Each student filled the 
journals in seven days with an entry each day. In other words, 330 entries of journals were used 
for data analysis. 
Before analysis was carried out, the words noted down in the journals of students were 
checked whether they were present in the academic word list that was given to them. It was 
found that 100% of the words recorded were in the academic word list. Then all the journals 
were numbered from NK1 to NK55. Themes emerged from the journal entries were compiled 
and they mainly focused on two categories: Strategies to understand the meanings of the 
academic words and strategies to remember the words. 
5. Findings and discussion 
5.1. Sources for academic words 
 Analysis of students’ journals shows that fifty-five students wrote in their journals that 
they met the academic words from reference books, articles, tests, materials for some courses. 
Below are some examples: 
 “I came across the words equivalent, attribute, and hypothesis when I was doing IELTS reading.” 
(NK 34) 
 “I got to know the words manipulate, reinforce, index, and precede from a TOEIC book.” (NK 44) 
 “I knew the words beneficial, component, and complement in the materials for the course 
‘functional grammar.” (NK 51) 
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 Forty seven students wrote that they came across a lot of academic vocabulary in the 
course materials for the English pedagogy major. Forty others recorded that they got to know 
the words via the mass media, such as Youtube, Facebook, TV programs, BBC channel, CNN, 
video clips on the Internet, news programs, websites, Tedtalk, etc. 
 Some examples are as follows: 
 “I learned the words selection, random, implicit and respond in the program Talk Vietnam VTV4.” 
(NK05) 
 “I’ve learned the words briefly, process when I watched the cooking video on Youtube.” (NK34) 
 “I watched Ted Talk and learned the words facilitator and considerable.” (NK15) 
 “I watched movies and learned the words clarity, framework, justify and series.” (NK 18) 
 “I have learned the words reluctant, ranging, internal, grant from some entertainment videos in 
English learning channels.” (NK 38) 
 “I’ve learned the words hence, integrated, convince, and posed from the news program.” (NK49) 
 Twenty-six students wrote that they learned academic words from the lectures. Below are 
some examples from their journal entries: 
 “I’ve learned the words emerges, criteria, consensus, and constitute from a lecture.” (NK 33) 
 “I’ve learned the words emerge, crucial, fundamental, immigrant, and framework from the class 
lectures.” (NK 30) 
“I’ve learned the words manipulate, correspond, denote, and consensus from the lectures at 
university.” (NK 03) 
 Nine students said that they studied vocabulary from listening to the presentations given 
by other students in class. 
 “I’ve learned the words intervene and item from a classmate’s presentation.” (NK11) 
 “I’ve learned the words definition, contribution, evaluating, and coherent from the presentation of 
a group of students.” (NK 13) 
 “I got to know the words availability, impact, category, contextual, and mental from the lecture of 
my friends.” (NK 39) 
5.2. Understanding the meanings of words 
Data from the learning journals show that 55 students claimed to consult dictionaries to 
know the meanings of words. Besides, 42 of them said that they tried to guess the meanings of 
the words from context: 
 “I guessed the meanings of the words acknowledge, revision and coherent from the context and 
examples.” (NK 13) 
 “I based on contexts to guess the meanings of the words dynamics, sequence and scheme.”(NK 28) 
 “Based on the context, I was able to know the meanings of the forthcoming, and contemporary.” 
(NK 54) 
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 In the journals, 24 students wrote that they asked other classmates/friends for the 
meanings of the academic words: 
 “In the lectures, there were the words such as functional, hierarchy, and facilitator. I asked my 
friends to know their meanings.” (NK 10) 
 “When I was reading, I came across the words dimension and scheme, I asked my friends for the 
meanings of these words.” (NK 16) 
 “I saw these words crucial, proceed, and enormous in a C1 practice test. I asked my friends to 
know the words.” (NK 32) 
 Seventeen students wrote in their journal entries that they asked their lecturers for word 
meanings. For examples, 
 “I heard the words hierarchy and facilitator from a lecture, and I asked the lecturer for their 
meanings.” (NK 10) 
 “Course materials have the words coherence, complementary and hence, I asked my lecturers for 
their meanings” (NK 27) 
 “I asked the lecturer for these words meanings: assessment, relevant and expose”. (NK 23) 
 Four other students wrote that they tried to guess the meanings of the words they did not 
know by looking at the words nearby. For example, journal 44 wrote that: 
“I saw the words acquisition, concensus and intervene, I read the nearby words to guess the 
meanings of the words that I did not know”. Similarly, journal 41 wrote, “When I was doing a test, 
I came across the words hypothesis and alters, I read the nearby words to guess the meanings.” 
Four other students wrote that they guessed the meanings of words via images and 
pictures: 
 “From the pictures, I could understand the words mediate, and output” (NK 01). “I watched some 
video clips, looked that the pictures and I understood the meanings of the words cooperation, and 
evidence.” (NK 09) 
There were two students who claimed to use analyzing strategies to know word 
meanings. A student wrote, “I tried to analyse the components ‘alter’ and ‘native’ of the word 
alternative and its affix ‘ly’ to understand the meaning of this adverb” (NK 07). In journal 53, a 
student wrote, “When I was reading a book, I met the words complementary and inevitable, I 
tried to analyse the components of the words. For example, the prefix ‘in’ means ‘no’ as in 
‘inexpensive.’” 
Another student (NK 45) wrote that she used some vocabulary learning applications to 
learn word meanings. Journal 34 recorded that readings usually have some footnotes to explain 
new words, which helped me to know the meanings of the words assess, flexible and derive.” 
5.3. Strategies to remember academic vocabulary meanings 
Thirty-eight students wrote that when they met academic words, they would write into 
vocabulary notebooks or new words books or write them on paper to review and to remember 
them. For examples, 
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“I knew the words cite, compile, implementation, and hierarchy from the lectures given by the 
teachers. I wrote the words on paper and review them often to remember how to pronounce the 
words and remember their meanings.” (NK 07) 
 “I came across the words interpret, comprises and criterion from group discussions, I wrote them 
in vocabulary notebook to remember them.” (NK 33) 
“I knew the words integrated, posed, controversial and hence when I read reference books and I 
wrote them in a notebook to review them every day.” (NK 47) 
 There were 27 students who wrote words a lot of times on paper to remember them. 
 “I met these words accessible, evaluation, irrelevant from the lectures of teachers and I wrote 
these words a lot of times to remember them.” (NK 19) 
 “I learned the words draft, flexible and granted from reference materials. I read them out loud and 
wrote the words many times to remember them.” (NK 26) 
 “When I met these words hypothesis, forthcoming, explicitly in cl