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Article published In:
Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報)
Vol. 54:2 (2019) ► pp.93–121

How and how much?

Vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary size in CFL

| Roma Tre University
| Roma Tre University

Vocabulary plays a crucial role in foreign language learning, and vocabulary mastery proves to be challenging at different competence levels. Compared to other areas of research into Chinese as a foreign language, vocabulary acquisition and vocabulary teaching have rarely been investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary size and to verify whether vocabulary size is positively correlated to proficiency level. A total of 95 Italian undergraduate Chinese learners, from elementary to intermediate levels, participated in this study. The participants were first given a vocabulary learning questionnaire and then a vocabulary size test. Statistical and qualitative analyses of the data revealed two trends: a poor variety of vocabulary learning strategies and a positive correlation between vocabulary size and proficiency level.

Keywords: Chinese vocabulary, learning strategies, vocabulary size, proficiency level
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Learning strategies
    • 2.1Learning strategies in foreign and second language acquisition
    • 2.2Vocabulary learning strategies: Taxonomies and proposals
    • 2.3Chinese vocabulary learning strategies: Literature review
  • 3.Vocabulary size
    • 3.1Vocabulary size in language learning and CFL
    • 3.2Vocabulary size assessment
    • 3.3The Vocabulary Size Test (VST)
  • 4.Methodology
    • 4.1Research questions
    • 4.2Participants
    • 4.3Instruments for data collection
      • 4.3.1The Vocabulary Learning Strategies Test (VLST): Sources and design
      • 4.3.2The Chinese Vocabulary Size Test (CVST)
  • 5.Analysis
    • 5.1VLST
    • 5.2CVST
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusions and pedagogical implications
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 20 March 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/csl.18006.rom
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