Relationship Between Vocabulary Learning Strategies and the Classroom Language in High School English Classes

Abstract

Since 2009, Japanese high school English teachers have been required to teach English using English, and 46% of the teachers reported using English as the primary language in the classroom. Although oral repetition and input-seeking have been regarded as effective vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs), no research has examined whether these VLSs have a positive correlation with learners’ lexical proficiency even after the classroom language changes. This study examined the relationship between VLS use and vocabulary test scores among learners who had been taught English in Japanese (i.e., J-taught) or English (i.e., E-taught). Data from 295 high school graduates were analyzed, showing that while association and self-management strategies were positively correlated with vocabulary scores in both groups, oral repetition and input-seeking strategies were positively correlated with vocabulary scores only in the J-taught group. Cognitively complicated VLSs such as association and imagery strategies were more commonly used by the E-taught learners. These results provide a basis for understanding how J- and E-taught lessons affect Japanese-speaking English learners’ lexical development and learning styles.