An investigation into the effectiveness of and attitudes towards the keyword method and the context method in L2 vocabulary acquisition byCantonese-speaking Chinese learners in an English as the medium ofinstruction (EMI) secondary school in Hong Kong

Abstract

Vocabulary learning plays an important role in second language acquisition. As successful language learners are found to make good use of vocabulary learning strategies to facilitate the learning process, researchers are interested in investigating whether less competent language learners can also benefit from strategy instruction. The present study aimed to examine the relative effectiveness of and attitudes towards the two vocabulary strategies, namely the keyword method and the context method in L2 vocabulary acquisition among 61 Cantonese-speaking Chinese students in Hong Kong. The study involved two classes of Secondary one students studying in a band one English-medium co-educational secondary school. In the first round of the study, Class A and Class B learnt a list of 10 target vocabulary items. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through vocabulary pre-tests, post-tests, questionnaires and interviews. In the second round, Class A and Class B swapped the learning conditions to learn another list of 10 target vocabulary items. The same procedures as for the first round were followed. Findings of this study indicated, first, the superiority of the keyword method over the context method in vocabulary retention. Second, the majority of the participants thought the context method was more useful than the keyword method and preferred the former one in the future. To conclude, this study may be of importance in investigating the effectiveness of the two strategies by Chinese learners in the Hong Kong school context, as well as in providing a better understanding of their attitudes towards the two strategies.