The Involvement Load Hypothesis and the Effects of Gender on Vocabulary Learning Strategy; the case of Persian EFL Learners

A proficiency test (Oxford Placement Test) was run to include intermediate subjects in seven groups (Female Need group, Male Need group, Female Search group, Male Search group, Female Evaluation group, Male Evaluation group, and Control group). A questionnaire based on Schmitt1997 s taxonomy was distributed among the participants to choose those who have similar vocabulary learning strategy. The original taxonomy provided carefully developed definitions for each of the six major categories in the cognitive domain. The categories were knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. 3 with the exception of application each of these was broken into subcategories. The aim of the study was to evaluate O Mallay and Chamot (1990) idea in the context of Iranian Learners and the influence of Involvement Load Hypothesis and its elements (Need, Search, and Evaluation). Based on the research questions which were formulated the study contains three phases: the introductory phase, the treatment offering phase, and posttest phase. These three phases are explained as follows: In the introductory phase a proficiency test was run to include intermediate subjects in 7 groups. The questionnaire used for the study was adapted from Schmitt(1997) taxonomy . It included the following: five statements on cognitive strategies (COG), ten statements on memory strategies (MEM), nine statements on determination strategies (DET) and three social strategies (SOC) in vocabulary learning. The frequency of use and their usefulness were measured by 5-point Likert scales (1=Never to 5=Always; 1=Not Useful to 5=Extremely Vocabulary Language Learning Strategies among Chinese EFL Postsecondary Students 81 Useful). A questionnaire based on Schmitt s taxonomy was distributed among the participants to choose those who have similar vocabulary learning strategy. The original Taxonomy provided carefully developed definitions for each of the six major categories in the cognitive domain. The categories were Knowledge, Comprehension, Application Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation.3 With the exception of Application, each of these was broken into subcategories. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of ILH so 100 vocabulary items from much related intermediate short texts [Active Skills for Reading, Longman Pearson, England, 2013 (Intermediate book) or Oxford Word Skills, Oxford University Press, England, 2010(Intermediate book)] was selected and was written on a single page to be distributed among the participants. The subjects were asked to circle the items the meaning of which they know or they have seen before. Based on the circles provided by the participants the researcher chose 20 new vocabulary items that the participants did not know their meanings. Then the 20 new vocabulary items were included in 20 sentences. The participants should choose the synonym of the new items in the sentences or fill in the blanks with the new items. The questions were all multiple choice questions. This was the pretest of the groups. The participants then comprised 7 groups. Every group contains 20 participants. Female need group, Male Need group, Female Search group, Male Search group, Female Evaluation group, Male Evaluation group, and Control group. Female Need group, Male Need group, Female Search group, Male Search group, Female Evaluation group, Male Evaluation group receive the treatments that are recommended by the elements of ILH . The second phase was treatment offering phase which was followed in the seven groups at the same time. The intermediate texts that the 20 new items were selected from were presented to the seven groups with the same 20 new items that the participants didn’t know their meanings. The defining method of the new terms is different through the groups (glossed with synonyms in the need groups, monolingual dictionary use in the search groups, and evaluation of an acceptable appropriate word in the evaluation groups following the intermediate text). The participants in the control group received the same intermediate text but without any treatment (synonyms, dictionary use, and evaluation of the proper synonym). The participants were asked to read the intermediate text in a limited time and get themselves ready for the vocabulary test chosen from the text which was the next phase of the study .The third phase of the study was the posttest phase.. The same questions which were applied in the pretest phase were offered to the seven groups as the posttest of the groups. After passing three weeks the same vocabulary test which was used in the pretest and posttest 1 was offered to the same participants of the groups to evaluate the effect of ILH . This is posttest 2. No attempt has ever been made to evaluate the effect of ILH after passing many days or weeks. This paper has examined vocabulary learning strategies of Iranian male and female intermediate learners. The results of the study proved O Malley and Chamot s idea which indicates among the offered strategies, it is highly stated that strategies that entail less active manipulation of language task e.g. repetition and note taking were frequently employed than those that entail active manipulation of learning materials e.g. grouping and contextualization. Another finding of the study indicated that there wasn’t any difference between vocabulary learning strategies of Iranian male and female learners.The fundamental application of the present study is how to teach and practice the meaning of new vocabulary items in order to be acquired. The fundamental application of the present study is how to teach and practice of the meaning of the new vocabulary items in order to be acquired and another application of the study is to recommend the teachers how to improve their teaching methods when they want to increase the amount of new vocabulary items. The present study has another fundamental application which is to consider the vocabulary learning strategy of the participants. Finally it can be indicated that students the teachers should pay attention to Vocabulary Learning Strategy as Omally and Chamot indicat .

کلیدواژه ها:

Vocabulary Learning Strategy ، Language Learning Strategy ، Cognitive Strategy ، Socio affective strategy ، Cognitive Learning Strategy ، Metacognitive Learning Strategy ، Communication Strategy ، Social Strategy