Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Thai University Students and Its Relationship to Vocabulary Size

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate vocabulary learning strategies employed by Thai university students. The relationship between the students’ vocabulary learning strategies and their vocabulary size was also explored. The subjects of this study were 257 Prince of Songkla University students in the 6 fields of study: medicine, dentistry, nursing, engineering, accounting, hospitality and tourism which will be highly affected by the forthcoming ASEAN Economy Community (AEC) in 2015. The research data were obtained from 2 instruments: the vocabulary learning strategy questionnaire and the bilingual English-Thai version of vocabulary size test. The study revealed that the subjects slightly employed the overall vocabulary learning strategies. Out of 39 vocabulary learning strategies, the subjects employed 2 strategies at a high level, 18 strategies at a moderate level, and 19 strategies at a low level. The subjects’ use of the overall vocabulary learning strategies was moderately correlated with their vocabulary size. Seventeen vocabulary learning strategies were correlated with their vocabulary size at a moderate degree while the rest at a low degree.