T1 112012117 Full text

VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES USED BY
SOPHOMORESIN PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Pendidikan

Octavian Graceas
112012117

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS
UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA
2016

Vocabulary Learning Strategies
Used by Sophomores in Public Relations Department
THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan

Octavian Graceas
112012117

Approved by

Gita Hastuti,S.Pd., M.A.

Vica Ananta Kusuma,S.Pd., M.A.

Supervisor

Examiner

i

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

This thesis contains no such material as has been submitted for examination in any course or
accepted for the fulfillment of any degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my
knowledge and my belief, this contains no material previously published or written by any

other person except where due reference is made in the text.

Copyright@ 2016. Octavian Graceas and Gita Hastuti,S.Pd., M.A.

All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced by any means without the
permission of at least one of the copyright owners or the English Language Education
Program, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga.
Octavian Graceas.

ii

PUBLICATION AGREEMENT DECLARATION

As a member of the Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana academic community, I verify that:
Name

: Octavian Graceas

Student ID Number

: 112012117

Study Program

: English Language Education

Faculty

: Faculty of Language and Arts

Kind of Work

: Undergraduate Thesis

In developing my knowledge, I agree to provide UKSW with a non-exclusive royalty free right
for my intellectual property and the contents therein entitled:
Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by Sophomores in Public Relations Department
With this non-exclusive royalty free right, UKSW maintains the right to copy, reproduce, print,
publish, post, display, incorporate, store in or scan into a retrieval system or database, transmit,
broadcast, barter or sell my intellectual property, in whole or in part without my express written

permission, as long as my name is still included as the writer.
This declaration is made according to the best of my knowledge.
Made in : Salatiga
Date :
Verified by signee

Octavian Graceas

Approved by

Thesis Supervisor

Thesis Examiner

Gita Hastuti,S.Pd., M.A.

Vica Ananta Kusuma, S.Pd. M.A.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Approval Page ............................................................................................................... i
Copyright Statement .................................................................................................... ii
Publication Agreement Declaration ............................................................................ iii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ iv
List of Table ................................................................................................................ vi
List of Figures ............................................................................................................. vi
Abstract .........................................................................................................................1
Introduction ...................................................................................................................1
Literature Review..........................................................................................................3
Vocabulary Learning Strategies.............................................................................3
Types of Vocabulary Learning Strategies .............................................................4
Related Previous Studies .......................................................................................6
The Study ......................................................................................................................7
Methodology ..........................................................................................................7
Context of the Study ..............................................................................................7
Participants.............................................................................................................8
Instrument of Data Collection................................................................................8

iv

Data Collection Procedure ...................................................................................10
Data Analysis Procedure ......................................................................................10
Discussion ...................................................................................................................10
Metacognitive Stategies .......................................................................................12
Cognitive Strategies .............................................................................................13
Social Strategies ...................................................................................................15
Affective Strategies..............................................................................................16
Compensation Strategies.....................................................................................28
Memory Strategies ..............................................................................................19
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................21
Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................23
References ...................................................................................................................24
Appendix .....................................................................................................................26

v

LIST OF FIGURE
Figure 1 Overall Strategies of Vocabulary Learning .................................................10

LIST OF TABLE
Table 1. SILL’s Key.....................................................................................................11
Table 2 Metacognitive Strategies................................................................................12
Table3Cognitive Strategies .........................................................................................14
Table 4 Social Strategies ...........................................................................................17
Table 5 Affective Strategies ........................................................................................19
Table 6 Compensation Strategies ..............................................................................21
Table 7 Memory Strategies .........................................................................................23

vi

Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by Sophomores
of Public Relations Department
Octavian Graceas

Abstract
Vocabulary is an essential aspect for L2 students. It will be difficult for students who have
lack of vocabulary to learn L2. Therefore, we need to know which strategies used by the
students to help them learn vocabulary. The purpose of this study is to investigate the

strategies used by sophomore taking BIP1 class of Public Relations Department in
Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana. The participants of this study are 18 sophomore who take
BIP 1 class in Public Relations Department. The data was analyzed based on Oxford’s (1990)
taxonomy, which are memory strategies, cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, social
strategies, affective strategies, and compensation strategies. The results of this study showed
that metacognitive strategies were the most frequently used and memory strategies were used
the least by the participants.
Key Words:Vocabulary learning strategies, Public Relations

INTRODUCTION
Vocabulary is an important element for L2 learners ( Saengpakdeejit, 2014; Lip,
2009; Hadavi and Hashemi, 2014). L2 learners with inadequate vocabulary can not
understand what people say, and they can not utter their ideas well because of the lack of
vocabulary. Words are the building blocks of a language since they contain objects, actions,
and ideas (Lotfi, 2007). L2 learners,especially those who learn English for Specific Purposes
(ESP), need to know and understand the target language vocabulary. Harding (2011, as cited
in Desiana, 2014) stated that vocabulary is crucial in ESP because learners will meet many
technical or specialized words which are used to explain ESP materials in their specialism
(p.53). Therefore, vocabulary leaning strategies are really important for L2 learners.
According to Lotfi ( 2007 ), vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) encourages greater overall

self-direction for learners. Similarly, Nation ( 2011, as cited in Subon, 2013) proposed that

1

students who could use vocabulary learning strategy to learn vocabulary will be able to take
responsibility and take control of their own learning process.
Some researchers have studied about vocabulary learning strategies. In his study, Lip
(2009) reported the vocabulary learning strategies that were most frequently used by
postsecondary students in Hong Kong. The result of his study were as follows: 1) spelling the
word in the mind repeatedly; 2) analyzing the word by breaking down the sound segments; 3)
remembering words by doing a project; and 4) asking classmates for the meaning of the
word. A similar research study was done by Noorizah and Zaini (2009) with 35 post-graduate
students doing the programme at the School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of
Social Sciences and Humanities at University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). They found that
memorization strategies were the most frequently used strategy and note taking strategies
werethe least frequently usedstrategy.
This study focuses on the strategies used by the Public Relations students in learning
vocabulary. The question of the study is “What VLS are used by the Sophomores of Public
Relations Department to develop their vocabulary?” The purpose of this research is to
describe the strategies used by sophomores who were taking BIP1 of the Public Relations

Department in Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana.
The present study has some significance for students and teachers. The results of the
study may help students tobe aware of the strategies that they have or have not usedto
learnvocabularyand to reflect on which strategies might fit them best, so that they could
decide what to do next to improve their vocabulary. Additionally, the study provides
information for the teacher to implement suitable techniques to help increase students’
vocabulary. The study also provides significance for ELE students. The study may help the
ELE students to conduct further study on the same topic. Also, ELE student may use the
strategies to help them in learning English.

2

LITERATURE REVIEW
Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS)
Vocabulary is an important factor for L2 students (Saengpakdeejit, 2014; Amirian &
Heshamatifar, 2013; Hadavi & Hashemi, 2014). According to Bonsa & Wolde (2014)
students who use VLS successfully could improve their vocabulary knowledge because the
students become independent learners who take responsibility for their own language
learning. Also, Saengpakdeejit (2014) stated that students can significantly improve their
language competence by developing their vocabulary learning strategies. Hence, vocabulary

learning strategies are a crucial part in English language learning as Wilkins (1972, as cited in
Khalifa, 2015) stated, “Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary
nothing can be conveyed”.
According to Amiri & Heshmatifar (2013), learning vocabulary is considered as a
necessary part of language learning.Limited knowledge of vocabulary results in learner’s
difficulties in comprehension as well as production of language. Therefore, the strategies
which students use must help the students build their vocabulary. Accoding to Oxford (1994,
as cited in Hadavi & Hashemi, 2014), vocabulary learning strategies are specific actions,
behaviors, steps, or techniques students use, often consciously, to improve their progress in
apprehending, internalizing, and using the L2. Hence, using some vocabulary learning
strategies will help the students to develop their vocabulary.
Catalan (2003, as cited in Saengpakdeejit,2014) has seen VLS as the mechanism
(process, strategies) used to learn vocabulary as well as steps or actions taken by students (a)
to find out the meaning of unknown words, (b) to retain them in long-term memory, (c) to
recall them at will, and (d) to use them in oral or written mode. Therefore, using appropriate
vocabulary learning strategies will help students to learn vocabulary efficiently.
3

Types of Vocabulary Learning Strategies
Each researcher has different taxonomies of vocabulary learning strategies. Some of
them tried to divide the strategies into some aspects. The first taxonomy is Oxford’s
taxonomy (1990). There are six strategies in Oxford’s taxonomy, including memory
strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, affective
strategies, and social strategies which are grouped into two major types: direct and indirect
strategies.
Direct strategies refer to “strategies involving mental process and directly influencing
the target language” (Oxford,1990 as cited in Chi &Tam, 2013, p.6). The direct strategies
consist of memory strategies, cognitive strategies, and compensation strategies . Memory
strategies are used by language students for remembering and retrieving new information,

such as rhyming new vocabulary. Cognitive strategies enable the students to understand and
produce new language, such as practicing new vocabulary. Compensation strategies help the
learners in overcoming lack of knowledge and continuing to communicate authentically, such
as guessing meaning from contexts (Kovanen,2014).
Meanwhile, “indirect strategies are those supporting and managing language without
directly involving the target language” (Oxford, 1990 as cited in Chi & Tam, 2013,p.7). In
other words, indirect strategies give indirect support for language learning through focusing,
planning, evaluating, seeking opportunities, controlling anxiety, increasing cooperation and
empathy and other means (Ellis,1994 as cited in Tam, 2013). Included in this strategies are
Metacognitive Strategies, Affective Strategies, and Social Strategies. Metacognitive strategies

are students’ actions in coordinating their own learning process, like focusing, arranging and
evaluating their learning. Affective strategies are techniques like self-reinforcement and
positive-talk which help students gain better control over their emotion, attitudes, and

4

motivations related to vocabulary learning. The last but not least is social strategies that
engage students in learning new vocabulary with others such as asking the meaning of words
from their classmate and checking the correctness of what they know from their teacher
(Oxford, 1990, as cited in Khalifa, 2015).
In addition, Schmitt (2000) also classified vocabulary learning strategies into five
specific groups, namely determination strategies, social strategies, memory strategies,
cognitive strategies, and metacognitive strategies (pp. 134-136). First, in determination
strategies students try to become autonomous learners. For instance, the students try to

understand the vocabulary without any help fromotherpeople. Second, social strategies
engage students peer to learn new vocabulary. Next strategies are memory strategies. In this
type of strategies the students try to recall vocabulary that they have already known. For
example, they will relate their previous knowledge by grouping the vocabulary by its form or
topic using physical action, etc. The fourth is cognitive strategies. The strategies do not use
mental processing but engage students in mechanical

processes, such as repeating the

pronunciation of new words. The last is metacognitive strategies which are consist of
processes involved in monitoring, decision-making, and evaluation of one’s progress.
These two taxonomies are similar in that they have social strategies, memory
strategies, cognitive strategies, and metacognitive strategies. However, compensation
strategies and affective strategies appeared only in Oxford’s (1990) taxonomy and
determination strategies appeared only in Schmitt’s taxonomy (2000). With regard to this,
Hastuti (2014) has believed Oxford (1990) taxonomy provides clear-cut categories of
vocabulary learning strategies. Therefore, agreeing with Hastuti (2014), the researcher
decided to use Oxford’s taxonomy as the backbone of this study.

5

Related Previous Studies
Some VLS research studies used Oxford’s taxonomy to find the result of their study.
One of the studies was conducted by Khalifa (2015). The study focused on VLS used by
secondary school students in a Libyan school. The subject in this study was 180 students who
had been studying English language for 6 years. The result of this study confirmed that
memory strategies are most frequently used by students in the Libyan school.
Another study was conducted by Hastuti (2014) in STAIN Pekalongan. The study
discussed about exploring STAIN Pekalongan students strategies in learning English
language. The aim of this study was to know what strategies were mostly used and how the
students learn the English language. The result of this study was the students used all
strategies in Oxford’s taxonomy and the strategy frequently used by students was cognitive
strategies and the strategy that was least frequently used by the students was memory
strategies.
The next study was conducted by Dahana (2013). The study investigated the use of
strategies by elementary school students in learning vocabulary. The participants of this study
were 96 students from the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade from Sekolah Dasar Negeri 10
Salatiga. The result of this study found the strategy frequently used by the students was
metacognitive strategies and the least strategies used by the students was determination
strategies.
Another study that used Oxford’s taxonomy as the data collection instrument was
conducted by Nosidlak (2013). The study aimed to identify which VLS were used by English
philology students at the Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland. The results of this study
found the strategy frequently used by the students was memory strategies, similar to the
finding in Khalifa’s study in 2015.

6

THE STUDY
Methodology
The aim of the study is to identify the vocabulary learning strategies frequently used
by sophomores Public Relations Department who take BIP1 class in Universitas Kristen
Satya Wacana. In this study the researcher combined the quantitative and qualitative
methods. Hirsjärvi et al. (2005 as cited in Marttinen, 2008) stated qualitative study includes a
comprehansive acquisition and the data is collected in natural and real environment. This
study collected the data in BIP1 class in natural and real environment. The researcher will
describe the data based on participants response. Quantitive methods were used in order to
provide and count the data. A likert-scale questionnaire was used to gain the general
information regarding the use of vocabulary learning strategies, and interviews were
employed to support the general information with more specific details.
Context of the study
This study was conducted in Bahasa Inggris Pengantar 1 (BIP1) class in Public
Relations Department, Univeritas Kristen Satya Wacana. Bahasa Inggris Profesi 1 (BIP1) is
a required course in the Public Relations Departement in Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana.
The PR students should take BIP 1as aprerequisite courseto the next required course, BIP2
and BIP3. The students should take BIP 1. In BIP 1, students learn about general English and
some vocabulary related to Public Relations terms. After they pass BIP 1, they can take BIP
2.
Participants
The participants of this study were the second year students of the Public Relations
Department in Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana who were taking BIP 1 class in semester II/
7

2015-2016 when the data were gathered. The participants of this study were 18 students from
the Public Relations Department in Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana. They took BIP 1
course which provided them with English for the introduction of public relations. The
Indonesian language was known as the native language of all students. BIP 1 used Indonesian
language as the language of instruction in this course.
Data Collection Instruments
The study will use questionnaire and interview as the research instruments. In the
study, a 4 likert-scale questionnare was used to collect the data. The 4 likert-scale
questionnaire consisted of twenty-five statements of vocabulary learning strategies. They
include the following: five statements on memory Strategies, five statements on cognitive
strategies (COG), four statements on compensation strategies, six statements on
metacognitive strategies, three statements on affective strategies, and two on social strategies.
The questionnaire was adapted from Oxford’s taxonomy (1990). Oxford’s original taxonomy
questionnaire has 50 questions, but in this study the researcher modified the questionnaire by
reducing the number of the items into twenty-five statements to adjust with the participants’
level and the item deleted was based on the consideration of the BIP1 teacher. The researcher
chose the statements based on the possibile strategies that were frequently used by students to
learn vocabulary. Oxford’s original taxonomy use 5-point likert scale but in this study the
resercher used 4-point likert scale. The researcher excluded the “undecided” scale and
changed the likert-scale into 4-likert scale because the researcher expected the exact answer
like agree or disagree, not undicided. The participants should select an option: 4 (Strongly
Agree), 3 (Agree), 2 (Disagree), or 1 (Strongly Disagree) to respond to the given statements.
The researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews with six participants to
follow-up their responses to the questionnaire. The six students were selected as
8

representatives from different strategies that they had chosen in the questionnaire section.
Some possible questions for the the participants include:
1. In number two you choose strongly agree with this statement ,“I connect the sound of
a new English word and an image or picture of the word to help me remember the
word”. Why did you choose this strategy to help you learn new vocabulary?
2. How do you do the strategy? Give examples, please.
3. Does the strategy really help you to learn new vocabulary?
4. What is the benefit of using this strategy?
The interview questions were derived from the respondents’ answers in the questionaire
section and the researcher used the participants’ native language, Indonesian, to interview the
participants to make the participants feel free and comfortable to answer the questions. The
researcher chose six participants to be interviewed based on the criterion sampling.
According to Blackledge (2001, as cited in Zacharias, 2012), criterion sampling technique
could be done by setting up some criteria and finding the participants who meet those
expected criteria. Six participants in the context of the study were selected because they
frequently used the respective strategies.
Data Collection Procedure
The questionnaire was distributed at the end of the class. First, the researcher
explained the instruction. Next, the researcher distributed the questionnaire to the 18 students
in BIP1 class. The time given was approximately 15-20 minutes for the participants. Then,
based on the scoring system, the total point of each item in each category was counted and
divided by the number of the students to get the mean of each item. Next, to get the mean of
each category, the mean of each item was counted and divided by the number of item in
eachcategory. After counting the result and finding the strategy used by the students, the

9

researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with six of the students. The six students
were selected based on criterion sampling to represent different strategies that they have
chosen. All subjects were made anonymous and were labeled A to F in the study.
Data Analysis Procedure
After completing the stage of data collection, the researcher analyzed the data using
Excel. The mean of the data was analyzed to answer the research question in this study
“What VLS are used by the sophomores of Public Relations Department to develop their
vocabulary?”. To get the mean of each strategy, the data was calculated based on scoring
system. Second, when the data have been obtained, the personal interview was conducted by
the researcher to dig deeper information regarding the respective strategies.

DISCUSSION
In this section, the results of data analysis are presented and discussed as an effort to
answer the proposed research question. The discussion of this section is based on the six
strategies by Oxford’s taxonomy (1990) which have been mentioned ealier, including
Memory Strategies, Cognitive Strategies, Compensation Strategies, Metacognitive Strategies,
Affective strategies, and Social strategies. Table 1 below summarizes the meaning of the
scales in Oxford’s (1990) taxonomy, which is called SILL’s Key. This key is used to
interpret the participants’ responses to the likert-scale questionnaire.
Table 1. SILL’s Key

Average (Mean)

Frequency

1.0 – 1.4

Never or Almost Never Used

1.5 – 2.4

Generally not Used

10

2.5 – 3.4

Sometimes Used

3.5 – 4.4

Usually Used

4.5 – 5.0

Always or Almost Always Used

Figure 1 summarizes the strategies used in the class of BIP 1. The deeper discussions
on those findings will be elaborated afterwards.
FIGURE 1
Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used

Social Strategy

3.33

Affective Strategy

3.33

Metacognitive Strategy

3.66

Compensation Strategy

3.05

Cognitive Strategy

3.55

Memory Strategy

2.83

Figure 1 shows that the metacognitive strategies (M=3.66) were the most frequently
used by the students. The second strategy most frequently used by students in learning
vocabulary were cognitive strategy (M=3.55). The third and forth strategies used by the
students were social strategies and affective strategies. Both strategies have the same mean
(M=3.33). It is followed by compensation strategies (M=3.05), and finally, the least
frequently used strategies were memory strategies(M=2.83).
This finding is similar to Dahana’s finding in his study in 2010, in which the most
frequently used strategy was metacognitive strategies. However, it is not in line with Khalifa
(2015) and Nosidlak (2013) who found that memory strategies were the most frequently used

11

by their participants. In addition, the finding is different from Hastuti’s study (2014), which
found cognitive strategies as the most frequently used strategies, but it is similar in that
memory strategies were the strategies that were least frequently used.
Next, the researcher is going to describe the average of each strategy starting from the
highest to the lowest one and the highest and lowest item of each strategy.
Metacognitive Strategies
Table 2 below presents the use of metacognitive strategies by the participants.
Table 2. Metacognitivie Strategies

No

Strategies

1

2

3

4

Total

Mean

Q15

I plan my schedule so I will have 1

8

8

1

18

2.50

enough time to study English.

44%

44%

6%

100%

I think about my progress in 0

0

11

7

18

learning English.

0%

61%

39%

100%

I look for people I can talk to in 0

1

9

8

18

English.

6%

50%

44%

100%

I pay attention when someone is 0

0

6

12

18

speaking English.

0%

33%

67%

100%

I have clear goals for improving 0

0

7

11

18

my English skills.

0%

39%

61%

100%

I notice my English mistakes and 0

0

9

9

18

use that information to help me 0%

0%

50%

50%

100%

Q16

Q17

Q18

Q19

Q20

6%

0%

0%

0%

0%

do better.

12

3.38

3.38

3.66

3.61

3.50

Table 2 provides statements within the category of metacognitive strategies. From the
six strategies used by the students, the highest item isquestion 18 (Q18) “I pay attention when
someone is speaking English” (M=3.66). According to Table 1 (SILL’s Key) the mean
indicates that the participants usually used this strategy while learning vocabulary, i.e. they
usually paid attention when someone was speaking English. Student D as the representative
of this strategy said the strategy made her easy to learn new vocabulary because she was
happy when she saw someone speaking using English and she gave her attention to listen to
and watch the speaker.
“I’m happy when I see someone speaking in English, when she talks, I usually pay
attention to her and I can learn how she pronounces the words”

From the data above we can see if the student used metacognitive strategy to learn
new vocabulary through listening and watching someone who speaks English, she does not
only learn new vocabulary but also learn how to pronounce it.
The lowest item of this strategy is question 15 (Q15) “I plan my schedule so I will
have enough time to study English” (M=2.50). Regarding this statement, Student D further
said that she did not have enough time to plan the schedule to learn new vocabulary because
of her activities outside the campus.
“I never plan my schedule when to learn English. I learn English when there is a class
and if I will have vocabulary test on the next day. I have many activities outside the
campus and the activity makes me hard to study.”

Although Question 15 (Q15) has the lowest mean among the other metacognitive
strategies, the mean indicates that the participants sometimes used this strategy.
Cognitive Strategies
Table 3 below indicates the use of cognitive stategies by the students of Public
Relation Department.

13

Table 3. Cognitive Strategies

No

Strategies

1

2

3

4

Total

Mean

Q6

I say or write new English words 0

5

7

6

18

3,05

several times.

28%

39%

33%

100%

I try to talk like native English 0

3

9

6

18

speakers.

0%

17%

50%

33%

100%

I start conversations in English.

0

1

11

6

18

0%

6%

31%

33%

100%

2

8

5

3

18

11%

44%

28%

17%

100%

1

6

11

18

6%

33%

61%

100%

Q7

Q8

Q9

I read for pleasure in English.

0%

Q10 I watch English language TV shows 0
spoken in English or go to movies 0%

3,16

3,27

2,50

3,55

spoken in English.

The cognitive strategies were in the second place after metacognitive strategies.
According to Lip (2009) cognitive strategies help students to learn English vocabulary with
mechanical process. In the strategy students try to talk like native speaker, read, and write to
learn English vocabulary.
It can be seen in Table 3 that the item with the highest mean is Question 10 (Q10) “I
watch English language TV shows spoken in English or go to movies spoken in English”
(M=3.55).The mean indicates that the students usually learned new vocabulary from
watching TV shows or movies spoken in English.
Student B as repesentative of this study said
“I like to watch western movies that used English, but when I watch the movie or drama in
English, I usually used Indonesian subtitle or English subtitle to help me understand the
movie, but if there is no Indonesian subtitle, English subtitle is okay too.”

14

Thus, we can see if some of the participants like to watchEnglish movies but they still
need subtitle to help them understand the movies better. Probably, the student still has the
lack of vocabulary, so she still needs subtitle to help them in learning vocabulary through
watching movies. They learn vocabulary outside the class using movie as the learning
material and when I asked student B about the benefit of this strategy, student B explained
that he could learn more vocabulary and how to pronounce the words. He also added that she
could learn the cultures of the target language.
“I learn a lot of vocabulary, then I can understand, “ooo this is how we pronounce it.” In the
video we not only learn about vocabulary but also we can learn about the cultures too.”

From her explanation above we can see that the strategies have a lot of benefit in
learning English. The strategies help the student to learn not only the vocabulary but also the
pronounciation and the cultures of the target language.
The lowest item in this strategy is Question 9 (Q9),“I read for pleasure in English”
(M= 2.50). Student B as the representative of this study said if she did not have enough time
to read English book whether for academic purposes and non academic purposes.
“I rarely read English book because sometimes, I don’t have time to read it. I usually read the
book, especially PR course books if I have BIP 1 class in the following day.”

From the data above we can see that the student did not have enough time to read the
book, and the student preferred watching English movies to reading English books to gain the
new vocabulary.
Social Stretegies
Table 4 below shows the use of social strategies by the participants in learning
vocabulary.
Table 4. Social Strategies

No

Strategies

1

2

15

3

4

Total

Mean

Q24

Q25

I ask questions in English.

0

2

11

5

18

0%

12%

59%

29%

100%

I practice English with other 0

1

10

7

18

students.

5%

56%

39%

100%

0%

3.05

3.33

From table 4 above, the mean indicates the participants sometimes used both
strategies to learn new vocabulary. The highest item in this strategy is Question 25 (Q25) “I
practice English with other students.” Student F, as the representative of this study said that
she used this strategy with her brother, sister, and her friends in BIP 1 class.
“Sometimes I speak English with my classmates, but we are just joking and sometimes
for discussing about PR course. Sometimes I talk to my sister or brother using English.
But, the context of our conversation are just a joke and from our conversation, I can
sometimes learn new vocabulary.”

The lowest item in the strategy is Question 24 (Q24) “I ask question in English”
(M=3.05). The mean indicates the strategy was sometimes used by the participant while
learning vocabulary. The student had eagerness to ask any question in English to the teacher,
but the student felt afraid of making a mistake in the pronunciation and the grammar. So, the
student just asked the question to her friends.
“I want to practice my ability in speaking English with my teacher, but I’m afraid to ask
the question, I’m afraid if I have wrong pronunciation and grammar. Actually, if I make
a mistake, the teacher will correct the sentence or the prononciation, but I’m shy to ask.
If I have questions in the class, I will ask my classmate using Indonesian, but sometimes
I use English .”

Learning from the participant’s response above, the fear of making mistakes in
grammar and pronunciation may be the reason why the participants practiced English with
their friends more frequently than practicing with their teacher.

16

Affective Strategies
Table 5 below shows the use of Affective strategies by the participants in Public
Relations Department.
Table 5. Affective Strategies

No.

Strategies

1

2

3

4

Total

Mean

Q21

I try to relax whenever I feel afraid 0

4

10

4

18

3.00

of using English.

22%

56%

22%

100%

I give myself a reward or treat 2

8

7

1

18

when I do well in English.

11%

39%

6%

100%

1

10

7

18

5%

56%

39%

100%

Q22

Q23

I

encourage

myself

0%

to

11%
speak 0

English even when I am afraid of 0%

2.38

3.33

making a mistake.

It can be seen from Table 5 that the highest item of this strategy is Question 23 (Q23)
“I encourage myself to speak English even when I am afraid of making a mistake” (M=3.33).
It means that they sometimes used this strategy in learning vocabulary. The students actually
did not have confidence in using English, but they tried to push themself to use the language
in learning vocabulary. Similarly, the participants also sometimes used the strategy stated in
Q21 “I try to relax whenever I feel afraid of using English” (M=3.00). It seemed that they
encourage themselves to speak English, even she was afraid of making a mistake in using
English.
Student E, as the representative of this strategy said that she tried to encourage herself
to talk to native speakers. She believed that by pushing herself she would achive her goal to
become a Public Relations practitioner.

17

“I hope I can speak English, I want to learn how to speak English because I want to
have a career in Public Relation. As a Public Relation officer, we will communicate
with many people including native speaker of English. Sometimes I skype with native
speaker of English to practice my ability in speaking English, and I can find new
vocabulary through my conversation although I am afraid to make mistake in
grammar.”

Learning from the participant’s response above, the student has a motivation in
learning English. The motivation could make the student encourage herself in learning
English. However, the participants did not generally use the strategy in Question 23 (Q23) “I
give myself a reward or treat when I do well in English” (M=2.38). They probably did not see
the importance of rewarding themselves for the good things that they had done. Nonetheless,
Student F used this strategy by giving herself compliment after speaking in English. To her,
being able to use English to speak to her teacher made her proud of herself.
“After I asked a question to the lecturer using English, I immediately praise for being able
to ask a question in English, it made me proud of myself.”

Based on the excerpt above, Student F gave positive motivation to encourage herself
to have better result in learning English even though she was afraid to ask her question to the
lecturer.
Compensation Strategies
Table 6 presents the use of compensation strategies by sophomores of Public
Relations Department.
Table 6. Compensation Strategies

No.

Strategies

1

2

3

4

Total

Mean

Q11 To understand unfamiliar English words, I 1

0

14

3

18

3,05

0%

78%

17%

100%

12

1

0

18

make guesses

5%

Q12 I read English without looking up every new 5
18

1,77

word.

28%

Q13 When I can’t think of a word during a 1
conversation in English, I use gestures..

6%

Q14 I try to guess what the other person will say 1
next in English.

6%

67%

5%

0%

100%

4

7

6

18

22%

39%

33%

100%

8

8

1

18

44%

44%

6%

100%

From Table 6 above, it can be seen that the strategies Q11 “To understand unfamiliar
English words, I make guesses” (M=3.05) and Q13 “When I can’t think of a word during a
conversation in English, I use gestures” (M=3.00) were sometimes used by the participants.
These two strategies were the most frequently used compensation strategies. Student C as the
representative of the study, said that she would guess the meaning of the difficult words that
she found in reading texts from the context. She would focus on the meaning of the whole
sentence and not the meaning of word by word in that respective text.
“If I read a text in PR course book, sometimes I find difficult word, so I try to guess the
meaning from the next word, or I intrepret the whole sentence not for each word.”

Meanwhile, the lowest item for compensatory strategies is Q12 “I read English
without looking up every new word”(M=1.77). The mean indicates that the participants did
not generally read English without looking up every new word. In other words, most
participants still looked up every new word in dictionaries while reading English texts.
Nevertheless, it was not the case with Student C. She said that she did not need dictionary to
find the meaning of the difficult word. She preferred to guess the meaning from the context
although her guess may not be accurate.
“I rarely used dictionary to look up the meaning of difficult vocabulary because, it takes
too long to open the dictionary, so I prefer guessing the meaning even though it is not
accurate”

19

3,00

2,50

According to Oxford (as cited in Schmitts, 2000) compensation strategies were
communication strategies that used by students to help their lack of vocabulary in learning
English language. Probably the students do not understand some words in English, so the
student prefer guessing the words, and try reading English book without looking up the
meaning in dictionary. Student C used this strategies to increase her vocabulary even if she
thought her guess is not accurate. The student also did not look up the dictionary when she
found difficult word. It means that the students want to develop her vocabulary without any
help from the dictionary.
Memory Strategies
Table 7 below shows the use of memory strategies by sophomore in Public Relation
Department.
Table 7. Memory Strategies

No.

Strategies

1

2

3

4

Total

Mean

Q1

I use new English words in a sentence 1

3

10

4

18

2,94

so I can remember them

5%

17%

56%

22%

100%

I review English lessons often.

2

1

13

2

18

11%

6%

72%

11%

100%

I physically act out new English 2

7

7

2

18

words.

39%

39%

11%

100%

I use rhymes to remember new 1

7

6

4

18

English words.

39%

33%

22%

100%

I use flashcards to remember new 1

5

9

3

18

English words

28%

50%

17%

100%

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q5

11%

6%

5%

20

2,83

2,50

2,72

2,77

In Table 7 above, it can be seen that the participants sometimes used all of the
strategies under the memory strategies, but the highest mean is Question (Q1) “I use new
English words in a sentence so I can remember them” (M=2.94). Student A as the
representative of this strategy said
“If I get a new vocabulary I will use it in a sentence while reviewing BIP 1 lesson. For
example, I got a new vocabulary “succinctly” so I will use it in a new sentence like “the
case is succinctly.”

Then, I tried ask the student to make another example for the item, and she gave the
following example “ Good communication is the lifeblood of organization.”
The bold word is the new vocabulary that she got in class, and when I asked the
meaning of “lifeblood”. She answered,
“Lifeblood is lifestyle, isn’t it? Or something important? I forgot the meaning of it”

Learning from the student’s response,she could sometimes make mistakes although
student A tried to do the strategy. For example, she used “succinctly” incorrectly.
“Succinctly” means said in clear and short way, for example “I thought she expressed her
feeling most succintly at the meating” and student A has a different meaning about
“succinctly” in her example. Probably student A used this strategy to learn new vocabulary
but sometimes she is still confused in using the vocabulary in the sentences.
The lowest item in this strategy is Q3 “I physically act out new English words”
(M=2.50). In this strategy the student A said that she rarely used this item because it was
difficult. Sometimes the words cannot be acted.
“I seldom use this strategy because it’s difficult to do. For example when we want act
out the word “ succintly”. How to act it out?”

Oxford (2003) stated memory strategies are often used for memorizing vocabulary
and structures in initial stages of language learning. Some student in Public Relation
Department used this strategy to help them memorize or retain the vocabulary. Nonethless,
21

student A did not use this strategies because some of word hard to act out. Probably this
strategies can make some of students easy to understand new vocabulary but some students
can not use this strategies because some of word hard to act out. In fact, memory strategies
were the least frequently used strategies in this study.

Conclusion
As what has been stated above, the aim of the present study was to find what
Vocabulary Learning strategies were used by the sophomores in Public Relations Department
in Satya Wacana Christian Univesity. The results of the study showed that the most
frequently used Vocabulary Learning Strategies by the students was metacognitive strategies
(M=3.66), followed by cognitive strategies (M=3.55), social strategies (M=3.33), affective
strategies (M=3.33), compensation strategies (M=3.05), and finally memory strategies
(M=2.83).
Some interesting points were also found in this study. First, instead of reading texts,
students preferred to watch TV or movies in English with or without English subtitles from
which they could learn new vocabularies, the pronunciation, and the target cultures. Second,
students preferred practicing using English with their friends and siblings to practicing with
their teacher because they felt more comfortable. Third, although they tried to encourage
themselves to use English, they did not generally reward themselves when they did well in
English. It seems that students did not find it important in learning the target language.
Finally, students did try to use the words they just learned in new sentences. However, they
could sometimes make mistakes in doing so. Thus, teacher’s assistance is needed.
The finding suggests that the teacher should be aware of the strategies used by the
students. The teacher might also get better knowledge on how to teach and what strategies
should be used in teaching new vocbulary. The result found that the students were sometimes
22

confused to use a new word in a sentence. Thus, the teacher may guide the students to use a
new word in new sentences. The teachers can help justify which sentence is correct or
incorrect. The strategies found in the present study suggest that the teacher can try another
strategies to teach new vocabulary to the students. For the students, they may know other
vocabulary learning strategies and encourage them to try the strategies to improve their
vocabulary.
There are two limitations in this present study. First, the participants were only 18
students. The number of the participants was limited because the number of sophomores of
Public Relations Departement is limited too. Second, the BIP 1 class only open in that
semester. The research was done only in one semester. So, the researcher conducted the study
in a short period. The short period made the researcher could not do the observation in the
class. Therefore, the suggestion for the further study may involve more participants to study
more issues on the vocabulary learning strategies in Public Relations Department. Also, the
further research should consider the time to study the issues and observe the students to
enrich the data. The study should be conducted in the sufficient time to get a better result.

23

Acknowledgement
The researcher belived that this thesis would not have been finished and completed without
much help and support from my beloved people. First, the researcher would like to say thank
to my Jesus Christ who is always by my side. The researcher wishes to express my gratitude
to my supervisor, Mrs. Gita Hastuti who was abudantly helpful and patient in guiding me to
finish the thesis in a limitated time. Deepest gratitude to my examiner Miss Vica Ananta for
her advice, comments and assistances so that this study could be completed. The researcher
would like to say thanks to Mrs. Lina Sinatra because without her permission, the researcher
would not be able to conduct the resaerch in Public Relation Department. The researcher will
also express my gratitude and love to my family for their support, endelss love and the
second chance. My dad, Sulistya who always understand my flaw; my mother, my sister and
my brother for the support that they give to me. The researcher would also like to thank to all
lecturers and staff of English Department for all valuable and great support, knowledge, and
experiences. Finally, the researcher would also like to thank to all my friends; Vania
Dezmonda, Reza septriyasa, Eskatologia Sopranata, Daniel Rahadi, Bintang Amelia, Virna
Margetan as advisor, and Briggita Betsy. Finally, I am very grateful for being a part of FLL
family, a part of Twelvers. They will definitely be the “home” I long for. For everybody who
the researcher have not mentioned in this page, the researcher deeply appreciate every single
thing done or given to me.

24

References
Amirian, S. M. R., & Heshmatifar, Z. (2013). A survey on vocabulary learning strategies: A
case of Iranian EFL university students. Journal of Language Teaching and Research,
4(3), 636-641.
Bonsa,G.,B & Wolde, M. G. S. (2014). Vocabulary Learning Strategies used by EFL
Students: the Case of 11th Gade High and Low Achievers at Jorgo Nole Preparotory
School. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences.Vol 9, No 2 (2014); 17331998-8907.
Chi,K.,& Tam,H.(2013).A Study on Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) of University
Students in Hong Kong.Taiwan Journal of Linguistics.11(2),1-42.
Dahana,A. (2013). Vocabulary Learning Strategies used by Students of Sekolah Dasar Negeri
10 Salatiga. Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana Institutional Repository. Retrived
from: http://repository.uksw.edu/handle/123456789/3403
Desiana,T,A. (2014).Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Students in Economic International
Program.Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana Institutional Repository.Retrived
from:http://repository.uksw.edu/bitstream/123456789/5452/1/T1_112010042_Judul.p
df
Frankie Subon -Vocabulary Learning Strategies Employed by Form 6 Students. published a