Vocabulary Teaching Beliefs and Student Strategy Use in EFL: A Mixed-Methods Study on Explicit VLS Instruction at the Secondary Level

This study employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine two questions: (a) how does explicit instruction in vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) affect vocabulary achievement and strategy usage amongst secondary school students, and (b) how do students' reported strategies for learning vocabulary converge or diverge from teacher-reported vocabulary teaching strategies? The researchers collected quantitative information about the effectiveness of explicit Vocabulary Learning Strategy instruction on fifth-grade students through pre- and post-tests administered to 26 EFL students (ages 11 to 12) in two groups: an experimental group (n=13) that received nine weeks of explicit VLS instruction, and a control group (n=13) that participated in regular textbook-based instruction. The quantitative data were collected using a vocabulary teaching strategy questionnaire completed by 119 EFL teachers. Also, a questionnaire on vocabulary instruction methods was administered to 119 secondary school EFL teachers in the same regional context, yielding an even broader dataset of teacher-reported methods for teaching EFL vocabulary. These teachers were not the teachers of record for the students involved in this research. Qualitative data were collected from students via semi-structured interviews following a nine-week intervention. The statistical analysis of the data demonstrated that students who received explicit VLS instruction performed significantly better than their counterparts who did not. Qualitative results revealed that although teachers stated they highly valued strategies, their students' classroom experiences did not align with this perception.