IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No.

1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES OF

SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

I. Gusti Astika
Satya Wacana Christian University
Jl. Diponegoro 52-60 Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia
Email: [email protected]

Abstract
Strategy for learning vocabulary has an important role in English language
acquisition. This study describes the vocabulary learning strategies that the
students used when they learned new words. It attempted to find out if vocabulary
learning strategies differed across school levels, gender, and ability groups as
indicated by their English grades. This study involved 706 students from 8
secondary schools. The data were collected using a questionnaire developed using
a taxonomy consisting of cognitive, metacognitive, memory, and determination
categories. The overall results indicate that the students appear to rely more on
determination strategies. This reliance on determination strategies is consistent
across gender, ability groups, and school levels.
Keywords: Vocabulary learning strategy, vocabulary acquisition, strategy training,
strategy application.

Received: 2 December 2015; Accepted: 15 January 2016

1. INTRODUCTION
One essential component in language learning is vocabulary knowledge. An interest in
vocabulary acquisition has been increasing and language educators now have recognized the
essential role of vocabulary in second language proficiency. In communication, it is the vocabulary
knowledge that helps learners to convey meanings. The learners’ awareness of the role of
vocabulary in language learning is reflected in their learning behavior when they consult dictionaries
for difficult vocabulary items. Despite the importance of vocabulary and various ways of teaching
it, learners’ vocabulary acquisition has been problematic in EFL context such as that in Indonesian
schools especially those schools in poor-acquisitional environment. Studies on vocabulary learning
in such an environment has been very rare. It is, therefore, necessary that such research be conducted
to better assist teachers and students develop effective vocabulary teaching and learning strategies.
Mastering vocabulary is one of the tasks that EFL learners have to face during learning.
Therefore, learners find it necessary to find ways to improve their vocabulary. More evidence in an
EFL environment where daily exposure to English is often very limited and knowledge of
vocabulary does not happen naturally. Thus, the importance of learning strategies to develop
vocabulary knowledge should receive sufficient attention by teachers and consider individual

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

differences in terms of, for example, gender, level of proficiency, or the environment in which
learners learn and live. Vocabulary learning strategies may not be planned exclusively for that
purpose but it can be effectively taught in combination with regular classroom (Mizumoto and
Takeuchi, 2009). This study explores the students’ vocabulary learning strategies and identify what
strategies they used in learning vocabulary.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
In language learning, use of learning strategies for vocabulary acquisition is very important
and researchers have identified a number of vocabulary learning strategies that can be taught to
students. Language learning strategies are defined as activities used by learners in order to make
their learning easier and more effective and can be used or transferred to other situations (Oxford,
1990).These strategies are learning tools for students that they can use independently to acquire
vocabulary and make them become responsible for their own learning (Nation, 2001).With the
skill and knowledge of vocabulary learning strategies learners can learn new vocabulary without
the presence of the teacher. In other words, they can learn new words independently at their own
convenient time. Learners may utilize different learning strategies and they should be taught how to
use the strategies.
Vocabulary acquisition has a very important role in English language learning.
McCarthy (1992) states that meaningful communication cannot take place without
having sufficient knowledge of vocabulary. Vocabulary knowledge has been
acknowledged as crucial to using language, therefore, insufficient vocabulary knowledge
will lead the learners to difficulties in communication. In learning vocabulary, learners
have to put certain amount of efforts which Nation (2000) describes as ‘learning burden’.
According to him, different words have different weight of learning burdens and each
aspect of knowing a word may contribute to the learning burden. In learning English
vocabulary, students have to be educated and taught the strategies for learning vocabulary.
Students have to be persuaded to use appropriate strategies in order to learn vocabulary.
Thus, teachers have an important role to decrease the students’ learning burden by guiding
them to use appropriate strategies.
With regard to proficiency levels, Cusen (2005) found that advanced learners use many
types of strategies from Oxford framework. While Lo’s (2007) study with low proficiency learners
found that spelling the words, taking notes, and reviewing were the strategies perceived most useful
by the learners. Nemati (2008) investigated 60 pre-university learners in India showing that learners
with higher proficiency in English used more strategies in learning vocabulary than lower proficiency
learners. This study also revealed that male and female learners did not differ significantly with
regard to their strategy use. However, Liao’s (2004) study with Taiwan freshmen students showed
a different result; female students used more strategies than male students. With regard to age
groups, Wu’s (2005) study found that there were different patterns of strategy use in learning
vocabulary among Taiwanese EFL students. Yang (2008) investigated the journalistic vocabulary
learning strategies among EFL college students in Taiwan. In this study the participants used
electronic, bilingual and web dictionaries in a similar way. Repetition and memorization were also
the strategies used frequently by the participants. Strategies for learning vocabulary can be taught.

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

According to Rubin, Chamot, Harris, and Anderson (2007), if vocabulary learning strategies are
effectively done, it can increase students’ motivation for learning and it can improve their
performance.
The role of vocabulary in language use is very obvious as it is an inseparable aspect of
every language. Students who have insufficient range of lexical knowledge will not be able to
effectively communicate and negotiate meaning in conversation. In order to be able to negotiate
meaning properly in interactions, students must understand the sentence structure and vocabulary.
Lacking vocabulary will result in learners being unable to comprehend any text or understanding the
meanings of the vocabulary. Proficiency in vocabulary holds a key role in language use; the more
vocabulary a learner has, the more successful the learner is in expressing ideas or thoughts. It is
especially obvious in speaking where learners have to remember and produce words necessary for
successful communication.
Training on strategy for learning vocabulary will provide students with the skill and knowledge
about why, when, and where the strategies should be used. Through strategy training teachers will be
able to identify what strategies successful and less successful learners use in learning vocabulary.
Strategy training will also help students to become autonomous learners so that students will take more
responsibility for their learning. Strong vocabulary knowledge will enable students to acquire and
use their knowledge in the language (Oxford, 1990) Based on the discussion above, the
purpose of this study was to identify vocabulary learning strategies of secondary school students in
Salatiga. Specific research questions to be addressed were as follows:
1. What are the most frequently used English vocabulary learning strategies by
secondary school students in Salatiga?
2. What are the least frequently used English vocabulary learning strategies by secondary
school students in Salatiga?
3. What are the differences in use of English vocabulary learning strategies across school
levels, gender, and ability groups?

3. METHOD
This study describes the vocabulary learning strategies that the students used most
and least frequently when they learned new words. It also attempted to find out if vocabulary
learning strategies differed across school levels, gender, and ability groups as indicated by their
English grades. Therefore, the data analysis used descriptive statistics to provide answers to the
research questions formulated above.

3.1 Participants
The participants of this study were students from four junior and four senior high
schools in Salatiga, Central Java, using stratified random sampling technique which produced a
total of 24 classes or groups, with 25 to 30 students in each group. The total number of
students for the study was 706 with 61% female and 39% male.

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

3.2 Research instrument

The decision to use an approach to investigate learning strategies depends on the pre-
specified research questions formulated of a study since learning strategies vary widely (Cohen,
1998). Based on the questions formulated above, it was decided to use a written questionnaire
to obtain the data. The framework for the questionnaire for this study was based on the
taxonomy of Schmitt (1997) where the items were grouped into four categories: cognitive,
metacognitive, memory, and determination categories. The questionnaire items in Appendix B
were selected andadapted from Takac (2008) with three Likert Scale options: never (1),
sometimes (2), always (3). It was translated into Indonesian in order to ensure that the items
were well understood by the participants. The first part of the questionnaire aimed to obtain
personal information of the participants regarding gender, school, and their English grade.
Information about these variables were important for analysis to answer the research questions.
The second part of the questionnaire aimed to elicit their responses with regard to their strategy
in learning vocabulary.
The items in the student questionnaire (Appendix B) were classified into four categories
(Schmitt, 1997, as cited in Asgari & Mustapha, 2011) as described below.
- Memory strategy (MEM), relating new materials to previous knowledge; items 8, 9, 10,
15, 16.
- Cognitive strategy (COG), manipulation and transformation of the target language by
the learner; items 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 12, 18, 20.
- Metacognitive strategy (MET), being aware of, planning, monitoring and evaluating
learning process; items 4, 6, 11, 17, 19.
- Determination strategy (DET), strategies learners apply when they are faced with new
words without any additional help; items 13, 14.

3.3. Data collection

In this study, the data were collected by using a closed-ended questionnaire as
described in the research instrument. The questionnaire was distributed to the school samples
and with the help of the English teachers at the schools, the questionnaire was administered to
the students during an English lesson. The completion of the questionnaire took approximately
about ten to fifteen minutes. As described above, there were 24 classes selected for the study
with a total of 706 students all together. In completing the questionnaire, the students were
instructed to select 1 (never), 2 (sometimes), or 3 (always). The data from the questionnaire
were tabulated and calculated in percentages.

3.4 Data analysis

Using the Survey Monkey research tool (www.surveymonkey.com), frequency counts
were obtained to see the overall patterns of vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) used by all
participants in the study. Then, patterns of individual category of VLS were presented with its
questionnaire items and their frequency counts. The next sections in the analysis present
comparisons of VLS across gender (male vs. female), ability groups (high, mid, and low), and
school levels (Junior High School, Senior High School, and Vocational School) with reference

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

to each category. The purpose of the comparison was to see if there was any difference across
variables above in any aspect of the VLS as indicated by differences of the frequency counts.
Please note that the difference was not calculated for its statistical significance. The data for the
comparison were calculated for the frequencies of choices made by the students with regard to
the three scale options for the questionnaire items; never, sometimes, and always.

4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This study was designed to obtain answers to the research questions formulated above
through a questionnaire that elicited the participants’ recall of their vocabulary learning
strategies. The results of the study have been reported in the following order: First, the overall
results of vocabulary learning strategy is discussed. Then, follows discussions of each strategy
type; cognitive, metacognitive, memory, and determination strategy. Next, the comparisons of
strategies by gender, ability level are presented. Finally, the comparison of strategy types by
school level is reported.
Figure 1 presents the general patterns of VLS by the participants (706 students) under
cognitive, metacognitive, memory, and determination strategies. In terms of those strategy
types, the most frequently used strategy was determination strategy (49.8%), then memory
strategy (25.92%), and the least frequently used strategy was cognitive strategy (13.26%).

Figure 1. Overall results of vocabulary learning strategy

Table 1 below shows the results of the cognitive strategy with the questionnaire items
under the strategy. Further examination of the students’ responses to the items under cognitive
strategy, the following results were found: to the statement no 5, about 87,7% of the students chose
‘sometimes’ and ‘always’. In other words, in order to understand a new word, the students need to
see it in writing. The second finding under cognitive strategy was: about 78.9% of the students
sometimes and always selected item 1to be applied in learning new words; they used a new word in
new sentences in order to remember it. The third finding under this category was: as much as 91%

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

of the students never and sometimes made small pocket dictionaries in which they could write new
words. It appears that the students relied heavily on classroom activities when the teachers wrote
new words on the board but the students seemed to place little values of organizing new words they
learned in another form such as small pocket dictionaries.

Table 1. Cognitive strategy

Some
Never times Always
1. I use new words in sentences to remember them. 21.1 71.8 7.1
2. I make a list of new words and write the
20.8 63.9 15.3
translation in Indonesian.
3. I memorize new words outside class. 30.2 62 7.8

4. I write new words when I read books or texts. 24.8 62.7 12.5
5. I understand new words if the words are written on
12.3 52.7 35
the board.
6. To remember new words. I write them again and
46.9 44.1 9.1
again.
7. I memorize new words by writing them in a list. 33.2 56.6 10.2

8. I write new words in a small pocket dictionary. 52.3 38.7 9.1

The high proportion of students not keeping pocket dictionaries to learn new words may be
due to the amount of time they would need to write new English words and learn their meanings in
Indonesian. As Loucky (2002) found, the students in his study took more time to learn words in
traditional dictionaries compared to learning words using electronic dictionaries. The students in
this present study may have been familiar to electronic dictionaries that are more preferable and
more convenient to traditional bilingual dictionaries. The results of metacognitive strategy is
presented in Table 2 below.

Table 2. Metacognitive strategy

Some-
Never times Always
1. I learn new words from films or TV.
12.5 57.4 30.2
2. I make plans to learn new words.
44.6 46 9.3
3. I write new words when I watch films or TV.
58.1 35.4 6.5
4. I listen to music in English to learn new words.
14 42.1 43.9
5. I learn new words from the internet.
25.2 59.6 15.2

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p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

Under metacognitive strategy, sub-category 1 and 4 were applied most frequently (30.2% and
43.9% respectively) and sub-category 3 was never used by 58.1% of the students. Metacognitively,
the students seem to favor learning new vocabulary through non-conventional mode of learning such
as learning from TV, music, and the internet. However, as indicated by the finding for sub-category
3, as much as 58,1% never made notes of new words when they were watching films or TV. It
appears that receptive mode of learning vocabulary such as listening and watching TV are more
preferable to productive mode such as writing or using new words themselves. This finding seems to
confirm Nation’s (2000) assertion that learning new words imposes a certain amount of ‘learning
burden’ and that producing or using new words in writing or speaking would put more cognitive
effort than listening or watching new words used by other speakers. In line with this finding we may
expect that the students’ receptive vocabulary should gradually increase as the amount of learning or
instruction at school increases. Considering that vocabulary acquisition is an incremental process
(Schmitt, 2000:117) and the amount of time for classroom learning is very limited, it is necessary
that vocabulary learning should provide students with more exposure through learning activities in
and outside classroom. This is needed to compensate for insufficient quantity of input in the
classroom.

Table 3. Memory strategy

Never Sometimes Always

1. To remember new words, I read them
loudly. 57.6 33.9 8.5
2. To remember new words, I make a
connection to words I already know. 11.3 57.4 31.3
3. To remember new words, I make a mental
picture of something or an object. 17.3 49.6 33
4. I group similar words to remember them,
for example, nouns, verbs, etc. 24.8 52.3 22.9
5. I repeatedly remember words by heart. 14.7 51.4 33.9

Another pattern of strategy use was found in memory strategy which sub-categorized five
items. As seen in Table 3, the students always applied strategies 2, 3, and 5 almost equally
frequently (31.3%, 33%, and 33.9% respectively). They associated non-verbally meanings of new
words to what they have learned. This is in accordance to the finding of sub-category 1, by which
as much as 57.6% indicated that they never read new words aloud. Repetition drills were
apparently not a popular technique of learning new vocabulary by the students in this study.
According to Schmitt (2000:132), to memorize new words involves …’finding some
preexisting information in the long-term memory to connect the new information to’. As revealed
in this study, about 82-88% of the students sometimes and always used their previously learned
vocabulary knowledge to remember new words. This way of learning new vocabulary should not
be ignored due to its essential role and retrieval function in vocabulary learning. The memory
strategies in items 2, 3, and 5 could be used as a technique by the teacher to enhance structured

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

review of new words. However, it should be noted that learning words by heart may be effective
just for accuracy in an exam but it may not be helpful to develop word fluency (Wang, 2000).

Table 4. Determination strategy

Some
Never times Always
1. I use a dictionary to remember words. 12.6 52.8 34.6
2. To remember words, I translate them into
Indonesian. 3.3 31.7 65

In Schmitt’s (1997) VLS taxonomy, determination strategy refers to the discovery of word
meaning such as what students do when they come across new words. In this study, determination
strategy sub-categorized two strategies: using a dictionary and translation. The finding shows that
translation from English into Indonesian was more valued (65%) than using a dictionary for word
meaning (34.6%). It appears that direct short-cut to learning word meaning was more convenient to
the students than making efforts to finding meanings of new words in a dictionary.
An examination of teaching excerpts in Ayu & Timotius (2013) show that the English
teachers in the school sample used much translation in teaching which appears to be the norm in the
school. In fact, according to O’Malley et.al (1985), translation is an ineffective strategy to use with
students at the beginner and intermediate levels of English learning. A study by Sakurai (2015)
indicates that translating extensive reading stories from Japanese into English interfered with the
students’ reading comprehension and decreased their reading rate. It may suggest that, in spite of its
convenience for quick word reference, translation alone is not sufficient for understanding texts
because comprehension involves understanding of messages in a larger discourse context. If
O’Malley’s (1985) assertion is generalizable across EFL contexts, it is justifiable to suggest that
translation techniques as used in the school sample in this study should be avoided as it is not
effective to develop language skills.

Comparison by gender
Figures (Figures 2-5) shows the comparisons of strategy applications by male and female
groups in this study across four types of strategies; cognitive, metacognitive, memory, and
determination strategies.

Table 4. English grades of the students

Grade 40 – 59 Grade 60 – 79 Grade 80 - 100 Total
Male 46.15% 38.58% 36.26%
30 142 99 271
Female 53.84% 61.41% 63.73%
35 226 174 435
Total Respondents 65 368 273 706

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

It is interesting to see in the figures that the female groups used the four learning strategies
more frequently than the male group as indicated by the higher proportions of female students
selecting the two options; sometimes and always. Further examination of comparison of the
English grades between the male and female groups indicated that the female group outnumbered
the male group across the low, medium and high grade scales, as displayed in Table 4.

Figure 2. Comparison of cognitive strategy by Figure 3. Comparison of metacognitive

gender strategy by gender

Figure 4. Comparison of memory strategy by Figure 5. Comparison of determination

gender strategy by gender

As seen in the table 4, there was a larger proportion of the female group (61.41%) who
belonged to the medium ability scale (grade 60-79) than the male group (38.58%), and there was a
larger proportion of the female group (63.73%) who belonged to the high ability scale (grade 80-
100) than the male group (36.26%). The higher frequency of strategy use and the variety of strategy
types used may have contributed to the larger proportions of the female group achieving the higher
ability grade scales in English. This evidence provided further support to the study by Lin (2011).

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

In her study, she examined whether there were significant differences between males and females
in comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and vocabulary retention in video-based computer
assisted language learning program. Her study shows that female students achieved higher
percentage scores than male students in comprehension and vocabulary tests.

Comparison by ability level

The following finding shows the comparisons of VLS by students across ability groups;
high, mid, and low. The comparisons were made with reference to the four types of strategies:
cognitive, metacognitive, memory, and determination strategies.

Figure 6. Comparison of cognitive strategy by Figure 7. Comparison of metacognitive strategy

ability level by ability level

Figure 8. Comparison of memory strategy by Figure 9. Comparison of determination strategy

ability level by ability level

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Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

As displayed in Figures 6-9, there were more proportions from the mid ability group who
applied the four strategy types than the high ability group. The difference was even larger compared
to the low ability group. It is interesting to note that the proportions of the high ability group were
smaller than those of the mid ability group across the strategy types. This is quite unexpected
because the literature in language learning explains that higher frequency of learning may result in
better performance (Brown, 1994; Shahreza & Tavakoli, 2012; and Chen & Truscott, 2010). It is
quite possible that with frequent exposure through different learning activities aspects of word
knowledge will develop as a result of teaching.

Comparison of strategy by school level

As displayed in Figures 10-13, there was a slight increase of the application of cognitive and
metacognitive strategies by the students from Junior to High School as indicated by the higher
proportions of students in Senior and Vocational Schools who sometimes and always used the
strategies.

Figure 10. Comparison of cognitive strategy by Figure 11. Comparison of metacognitive strategy
school level by school level

Figure 12. Comparison of memory strategy by Figure 13. Comparison of determination strategy
school level by school level

A different pattern of strategy use was the application of determination strategy; about 85-
90% of the students across school levels indicated they sometimes or always used this strategy.

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Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

This may indicate that the students in Junior High, Senior High, or Vocational School rely more on
the use of dictionary and translation in learning vocabulary in a relatively similar way. It may also
be an indication of the teacher’s teaching technique with more emphasis on the utilization of
dictionary and translation. The present condition of teaching and learning English in the school
samples may take a long time to improve. The teachers may have been comfortable with the way
English lessons are planned and conducted and it may be difficult for them to come out from their
comfort zone.
In spite of the studies by Samaria (2015) and O’Malley et. al (1985) showing that
translation may not be an effective technique for developing learners’ vocabulary knowledge and
the learners’ reservation of using conventional dictionaries, language educators should find
alternative ways of helping students to expand their vocabulary receptively and productively. As
Loucky (2002) states that ‘students’ ability seems to depend on the quality of instruction’, teachers
should provide students with much exposure, frequent opportunity for language use, and consider
students’ present level of L2 vocabulary.

5. CONCLUSION
Although this study involved a few schools in Salatiga, some preliminary conclusions can
be drawn which could be used as considerations when a similar study is designed to obtain more
generalizable findings. In general, the results indicate that the students appear to rely more on
determination strategy which is a more convenient way of learning new words through the use of
direct translation from English to Indonesian and bilingual English-Indonesian dictionaries. This
reliance on determination strategy is consistent across gender where more proportions of students
(male and female) used this strategy. The comparison across ability groups also indicates a similar
pattern; determination strategy was always used by a larger proportion of students in the three
ability groups (low, mid, and high groups). The results of comparison across school levels show
that the majority of the students across school levels used determination strategy. In accordance
with the findings of Yang’s (2008) study, the students in this study also revealed that they made use
of bilingual dictionaries which offer an easier way of memorizing word meanings through
translation.
Based on the findings of this study, it would be interesting to see how the teachers in the
school samples teach vocabulary and how they help students cope with learning, using, and
memorizing new words. Classroom observations could be one technique to use to reveal
vocabulary teaching strategies the teachers use in the classroom. The strategies that the students
believed they used could be based on how they learned vocabulary in the class and/or their intuition
as students. They may not know how to learn new vocabulary unless they are taught by their
teachers.

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p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

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Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

APPENDIX A

Vocabulary Learning Strategy Questionnaire

Source: Takac (2008)

Foreign languages can be learnt in various ways. The aim of thisquestionnaire is to find out
how YOU learn foreign language words. Please answer how you really learn and not how
you think you should learn or how somebody else learns.
For each statement you can choose one of the following responses:
1-never 2-sometimes 3-always
Circle the response that best describes how you learn. There are no
right or wrong answers to these statements.

1. I use new words in a sentence in order to remember them. 1 2 3

2. I make word lists and write their translations in my mother 1 2 3

tongue.

3. I review words regularly outside the classroom. 1 2 3

4. I test myself to check if I remember the words. 1 2 3

5. I pick up words from films and TV programmes I watch. 1 2 3

6. If I cannot remember a word in a conversation, I use 1 2 3

another one with a similar meaning.

7. I write down words while I read books and magazines for 1 2 3

pleasure.

8. I plan for vocabulary learning in advance. 1 2 3

9. I remember a word if I see it written down. 1 2 3

10. I say a word out loud repeatedly in order to remember it. 1 2 3

11. I connect an image with a word’s meaning in order to 1 2 3

remember it.

12. I associate new words with the ones I already know. 1 2 3

13. I write down words when I watch films and TV 1 2 3

programmes.

14. I write down words repeatedly to remember them. 1 2 3

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

15. I read and leaf through a dictionary to learn some new 1 2 3

words.

16. I make a mental image a word’s written form in order to 1 2 3

remember it.

17. If I cannot remember a word in a conversation, I describe it 1 2 3

in my own words in the foreign language.

18. I imagine a context in which a word could be used in order 1 2 3

to remember it.

19. I translate the words into my mother tongue to understand 1 2 3

them.

20. I group words together in order to remember them. 1 2 3

21. I repeat the word mentally in order to remember it. 1 2 3

22. I listen to songs in the foreign language and try to 1 2 3

understand the words.

23. I pick up words while reading books and magazines in the 1 2 3

foreign language.

24. I use spaced word practice in order to remember words. 1 2 3

25. I connect words to physical objects to remember them 1 2 3

26. I test myself with word lists to check if I remember the 1 2 3

words.

27. I pick up words from the Internet. 1 2 3

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 IJOLTL, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2016
p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

APPENDIX B

STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE
STRATEGI BELAJAR KOSA KATA BAHASA INGGRIS

Para siswa Yth,

Menguasai kosa kata bahasa Inggris merupakan salah satu ketrampilan yang harus dimiliki oleh setiap
siswa dan ada banyak cara menguasai kosa kata bahasa Inggris. Kuesioner ini bertujuan untuk
mengetahui cara siswa mempelajari kata-kata baru bahasa Inggris. Pilih jawaban yang paling sesuai
dengan apa yang kamu lakukan dalam mempelajari kata-kata baru bahasa Inggris.

Lingkarilah angka 1, atau 2, atau 3, untuk setiap pernyataan.

1 = tidak pernah 2 = kadang-kadang 3 = selalu

Untuk setiap pernyataan, tidak ada jawaban yang benar atau salah.
Isilah bagian pertama terlebih dahulu.
Jenis kelamin: laki-laki perempuan (lingkari)

Nama Sekolah: ___________________

Nilai bahasa Inggris semester lalu: (lingkari yang sesuai)
Antara 40 – 59
Antara 60 – 79
Antara 80 - 100

1 Saya memakai kata baru dalam kalimat lain supaya mudah mengingatnya.
1 2 3
2 Saya membuat daftar kata baru dan menulis terjemahannya dalam bahasa Indonesia.
1 2 3
3 Saya menghafalkan kata baru di luar jam pelajaran.
1 2 3
4 Saya belajar kata baru dari film atau TV.
1 2 3
5 Saya menulis kata baru ketika membaca buku atau teks.
1 2 3
6 Saya membuat rencana untuk belajar kata baru.
1 2 3

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p-ISSN: 2502-2326; e-ISSN: 2502-8278, Web: ijoltl.pusatbahasa.or.id
Center of Language and Culture Studies, Surakarta, Indonesia
Astika, I, Gusti. 2016. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Secondary School Students.
IJOLTL (2016),1(1): 1-18.

7 Saya bisa mengerti kata baru kalau kata tersebut ditulis.

1 2 3
8 Untuk mengingat kata baru, saya membacanya keras-keras.
1 2 3
9 Untuk mengingat kata baru, saya menghubungkannya dengan kata yang sudah saya ketahui.
1 2 3
10 Untuk mengingat kata baru, saya membayangkannya dengan suatu obyek atau benda tertentu.
1 2 3
11 Saya menulis kata baru ketika menonton film atau TV.
1 2 3
12 Untuk mengingat kata baru, saya menuliskannya berulang-ulang.
1 2 3
13 Saya memakai kamus untuk menghafalkan kata baru.
1 2 3
14 Untuk menghafal kata baru, saya menterjemahkannya ke dalam bahasa Indonesia.
1 2 3
15 Saya mengelompokkan kata-kata yang sejenis agar saya dapat mengingatnya, misalnya kata
benda, kata kerja, dll.
1 2 3
16 Agar dapat mengingat kata baru, saya mengucapkannya dalam hati berulang-ulang.
1 2 3
17 Saya mendengarkan musik dalam bahasa Inggris untuk menambah perbendaharaan kata.
1 2 3
18 Saya menghafalkan kata baru dengan cara membuat daftar kata.
1 2 3
19 Saya belajar kata baru dari internet.
1 2 3
20 Saya membuat kamus kecil berisi kata-kata baru.
1 2 3

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