Investigating the vocabulary learning strategies of high and low achievers at government schools in Bahrain

Abstract

ABSTRACT : High and low achievers are found to use different vocabulary learning strategies in order to understand the meaning of new words which they encounter in the foreign language. High achievers on one hand, are better equipped with strategies that enable them to become more successful in learning the foreign language in general and vocabulary in specific, while low achievers on the other hand, struggle in handling different vocabulary-related tasks. This mixed-method study investigates the vocabulary learning strategies which are employed by high and low achievers from different genders. The main purpose of the study is to prove whether achievement has any significant role on the choice of the strategies students report using. In addition, male and female high and low achievers' choice of strategies was examined in order to determine the effect of gender on the choice of strategies among the two groups. The subjects of the study were selected to be 11th grade male and female Bahraini students enrolled in government schools in Bahrain. The study was implemented by means of a questionnaire that investigated vocabulary learning strategies which was administered to 120 students and interviews carried out with twenty subjects from the population who took part in the questionnaire. Furthermore, the study also investigates the beliefs students hold regarding vocabulary learning. The findings of the study reveal that some differences exist between high and low achievers in their choice of vocabulary learning strategies. In addition, gender is found to affect the use of different vocabulary learning strategies. Moreover, the beliefs students hold regarding vocabulary learning distinguish between high and low achievers and to some extent contribute to the success and failure of the students in leaming the foreign language.