Self-Regulated Learning of Vocabulary in English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

Within the framework of self-regulated learning, this study examined how motivational factors (extrinsic and intrinsic motivations) and use of learning strategies work in tandem in influencing L2 vocabulary knowledge among 230 Korean high-school students in Korea learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that motivation had a significantly positive indirect effect on EFL vocabulary knowledge through the mediation of vocabulary learning strategies. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations were positively correlated, and both were positively associated with vocabulary learning strategies as well as vocabulary knowledge. Separate SEM analyses further showed a similar pattern of an indirect effect of these two types of motivation on vocabulary knowledge via the influence of the use of learning strategies. Results are discussed in light of the importance of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in high-school students’ English learning in the foreign language context in Korea.