We aimed to establish the vocabulary learning strategies used by Chinese university learners of English and the relationship between their strategies and outcomes in learning English. We asked 850 sophomore non‐English majors at Beijing Normal University to complete a vocabulary learning questionnaire. We correlated replies to the questionnaire with results on a vocabulary size test and on the College English Test (CETBAND2). Participants reported using a wide variety of vocabulary learning strategies. In a multiple regression analysis, Self‐Initiation and Selective Attention, two metacognitive strategies, emerged as positive predictors of CETBAND2 scores. Contextual guessing, skillful use of dictionaries, note‐taking, paying attention to word formation, contextual encoding, and activation of newly learned words also positively correlated with the two test scores. However, visual repetition of new words was the strongest negative predictor of both vocabulary size and general proficiency. Furthermore, strategies aiming at vocabulary retention only related more to vocabulary size than to English proficiency. We identified 5 approaches to learning. These strategy combinations, rather than individual strategies, may have made the difference in these people's learning.

This study investigates the effects of strategy-based instruction (SBI) on the promotion of learner autonomy (LA). LA was conceptualized and operationally defined as learner self-initiation and learner self-regulation. An intervention study was conducted with the participation of 37 students in an experimental group, and 54 students in two control groups at a Vietnamese university. An eight-week metacognition training package was incorporated into the academic writing programme of the experimental group. Students in the experimental group improved their ability to plan, monitor and evaluate a writing task more than students in the two control groups. Planning became the most often exercised skill, followed by evaluating and monitoring. Improvements in writing were maintained on a delayed test. Overall, the study suggests that strategy-based instruction in the form of training learners in task-specific metacognitive self-regulation improved learners’ autonomy in both learning and their writing ability.

Gender and academic major are often seen as amongst the major factors that influence language learning. However, empirical studies on these two factors have produced inconsistent results. This paper bases itself upon the contention that specific tasks and contexts of learning may confound the relationship among gender, academic major, learning strategies and learning outcomes. A large-scale survey was conducted amongst a group of adult Chinese EFL learners on their vocabulary learning strategies. Female students significantly outperformed their male counterparts in both a vocabulary size test and a general proficiency test. Females also reported significantly more use of almost all vocabulary learning strategies that were found to be correlated with success in EFL learning. Academic major, on the other hand, was found to be a less potent background factor. Science students slightly outperformed arts students (though insignificantly) in vocabulary size, but arts students significantly outperformed science students on the general proficiency test. Strategy differences were also found between arts and science majors, but differences on most strategy categories were less clear-cut than were those between male and female participants. Interpretation of these results and pedagogical implications are presented.

Two successful non‐English‐major EFL learners at Beijing Normal University took part in a think‐aloud and an interview session, respectively, on how they handled vocabulary learning during and after reading. Results show that, like successful learners everywhere, these learners (a) saw vocabulary as but one aspect of language learning that needs to be integrated with language use, (b) demonstrated high levels of self‐initiation and selective attention, and (c) employed a wide range of vocabulary‐learning strategies. The two learners also displayed revealing differences in learning style. Their highly flexible, skilful integration and execution of strategies may be due to a combination of Chinese conceptions of learning, traditional schooling, and literacy practice, the prevailing methods for teaching and learning English in China, the demands of the vocabulary‐learning task, and individual learning style.

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This article reports on the updating and validation of a questionnaire for vocabulary learning strategies. An English as a second language (ESL) version of the Vocabulary Learning Questionnaire (VLQ), first published in Gu and Johnson (1996), was created based on its latest version. Two response formats were piloted, that is, a paper version with a 7-point Likert scale and an online version with a 100-point slider bar. A series of validation procedures resulted in a 62-item instrument which was then administered online among 682 English language learners at the tertiary level in China. The paper presents evidence of content validity, construct validity, internal consistency reliability, and predictive validity. It also provides suggestions for interpreting and using the questionnaire for both research and instructional purposes.

The use of reading strategies differs according to proficiency levels, and the quality of pupils' strategy-use patterns has more significant implications for understanding efficient reading among primary school pupils.

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