Identifying Young Learners’ Language Learning Strategies in Learning English Vocabulary

Abstract

Many theories share the proposition that humans can be categorized according to their learning style and learning strategies. The varieties of learning strategies preference increase the difficulty for an educator to teach an English Second Language Learning (ESL) classroom. Vocabulary is the most important and fundamental aspect of learning a second language.  Past studies have shown numerous vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) being investigated on secondary and tertiary level but limited in primary level, as well as taking gender preference into account. Therefore, this study aims to identify the most used language strategies in vocabulary learning and explore the gender differences in the preference of vocab learning strategies among Year 5 pupils in an urban primary school in Malaysia. With the reference of six language learning strategies (LLS) classified by Oxford, a quantitative investigation was conducted using four-point-Likert-scale questionnaires adopted from Perceptual Learning-Style Preference Questionnaire on 40 respondents selected through a purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics is used to analyse the data by calculating the mean. Findings showed that metacognitive is the most used VLS among primary pupils in general and there is an obvious difference in preferences between two genders. Female pupils basically apply more strategies than male pupils and they favour social strategies. Educators should take the preferences of VLS between genders into account when it comes to designing differentiated learning approaches to enhance vocabulary learning in an ESL classroom.