Developing vocabulary strategies among Kurdish EFL students of English as a foreign language

Abstract EN

This study followed a questionnaire-based approach to investigating English vocabulary learning strategies, which asked informants to provide information about their experiences of learning the English language.

Sometimes, EFL learners could not enhance larger amount of second vocabulary meanings because of randomly- selected strategies.

For investigating in this field, the participants were required to produce English synonyms and to take part in evaluations of their English vocabulary knowledge.

The participants were two groups of Kurdish EFL learners: 20 graduate students, from the University of Leicester in England and 35 undergraduate students from the University of Sulaimaniyah in Kurdistan.

The results indicate that the most effective vocabulary learning strategies are reading in English language and conversing with native speakers frequently.

However, other strategies such as watching television program and films, using English online, using bilingual dictionaries, translating English texts.

Listening to English songs and narrative stories are found to be as beneficial as the other two strategies.

Vocabulary notebooks and motivation from teachers are the other two strategies proposed by participants as being effective at enhancing English vocabulary knowledge.

It is interesting to mention the fact that some learners can get benefit form bilingual or monolingual dictionaries when they are selective.

Another technique that has a reasonable impact on gaining second language vocabulary learning is code-mixing technique.

Using L1 and L2 in direct communication between EFL learners and instructors known as code mixing.

When students as a learner find difficulties in understanding the whole words they aimed to use this technique for introducing foreign vocabulary.

The results indicate that the vocabulary notebook strategy is effective for retaining knowledge of particular English synonyms for a long period of time, while, improving motivation has a great impact on learners' English language learning.