關鍵字學習策略對台灣高中生英語字彙學習成效之研究 ; The Effects of the Keyword Method on Vocabulary Learning of Senior High EFL Students in Taiwan

論文內容摘要： 本研究旨在探討關鍵字單字學習策略，和反覆背誦法比較之下，是否對台灣高中生單字學習有正面的助益。之前的研究大多使用母語的關鍵字當作關鍵字法的媒介，在本研究中則使用第二外語的關鍵字來學習字彙。研究探討的問題如下： 1. 關鍵字單字學習策略和反覆背誦法成效之比較； 2. 測驗的形式對關鍵字單字學習策略和反覆背誦法成效之影響； 3. 回憶方向對關鍵字單字學習策略和反覆背誦法成效之影響； 4. 關鍵字單字學習策略和反覆背誦法對單字長期記憶成效之比較; 5. 受試者平日使用的字彙學習策略及受試者在接受測試後字彙學習策略偏好的改變； 6. 受試者對關鍵字法的觀感。 本研究的實驗對象為一百六十三位高雄高級中學的學生。在此研究中，學生分成兩組：一組使用關鍵字單字學習策略，另一組用反覆背誦法來學習新的單字。根據受試者所受不同的後測，再將兩組分為四個子組：(a) 用書寫測驗測試前向回憶，(b) 用書寫測驗測試後向回憶，(c) 用聽力驗測試前向回憶，(d) 用聽力測驗測試後向回憶。在實驗過程中，這兩組受試者分分別用關鍵字單字學習策略或反覆背誦法學習二十個字彙。在進行字彙策略教學後，所有的受試者馬上接受後測，在一個禮拜之後，再接受一次後測。在字彙策略教學之前，所有的受試者填寫字彙策略問卷；接受教學之後，再行填寫同一份字彙策略問卷。使用關鍵字單字學習策略學習單字的受試者則另行填寫關鍵字問卷。 根據資料分析，本研究的結果如下： 1. 使用關鍵字單字學習策略的受試者比使用反覆背誦法的受試者表現為佳。特別在書寫測驗及前向測驗中的情況。 2. 書寫測驗幫助關鍵字單字學習策略的單字記憶這個現象可能的解釋是因為關鍵字單字學習策略需要較多的時間回憶目標字，而書寫測驗比聽力測驗允許受試者更多的時間思考。這就是受試者在書寫測驗表現較佳的原因。 3. 在關鍵字單字學習策略中，前向記憶促進有效的單字回憶。因為關鍵字單字學習策略在設計上有利於前向記憶，受試者在前向測驗上自然表現較佳。 4. 在同樣的受試情況下，遺忘率方面，使用第二外語的關鍵字單字學習策略的受試者比使用反覆背誦法的受試者遺忘的比率為少。 5. 字彙學習策略問卷之結果顯示在接受單字策略教學前，受試者偏好反覆背誦法的字彙學習策略，而較不偏好關鍵字單字學習的字彙學習策略。同時，在接受單字策略教學之後，其對單字學習策略的偏好並沒有改變。 6. 關鍵字學習策略問卷顯示受試者認為關鍵字單字學習策略對記憶目標字彙的發音及記憶有所助益。 總而言之，使用第二外語的關鍵字單字學習策略的受試者比使用反覆背誦法的受試者平均表現較佳。因此，為求提供學習者有效的英文單字學習策略，英文教師應將關鍵字單字學習策略融入課程中，以強化學習者學習單字的能力。 ; The aim of the study was to ascertain whether a new variation of the keyword method (using keywords in L2) has positive effects on senior high school students compared with the rote learning method. Previous studies on learning vocabulary have involved the use of L1 keywords as mediators. The present study used L2 keywords as a base to learn new vocabulary words. The study probed into: (1) the comparison of effectiveness between the keyword method and the rote learning method (2) the influence of the test format on the effectiveness of the keyword method and the rote learning method (3) the influence direction of recall exerts on the effectiveness of the keyword method and the rote learning method (4) the comparison between the retention of the keyword method and the rote learning method (5) the perceptions of the subjects’ vocabulary learning strategies and changes in preferences after the vocabulary learning strategies instruction; (6) the subjects’ perceptions of the keyword method. The subjects were 163 senior high school students from Kaohsiung Senior High School. In the study, they were divided into two groups: one group learnt learned vocabulary words as L2 keywords and the other group learnt via the rote learning method. The two groups were further divided into four sub-groups according to the different posttests the subjects took in the study: (a) written posttests on forward recall, (b) written posttests on backward recall, (c) listening posttests on forward recall, and (d) listening posttests on backward recall. During the instruction, the subjects were presented with twenty new vocabulary words and their definitions, using either the keyword method or the rote learning method. Posttests were administered immediately after treatment, and again after one week. Before and after the instruction, the subjects took the vocabulary strategies questionnaire. Those subjects who received the keyword method instruction filled out the keyword questionnaire. An analysis of the data revealed the major findings of the present study: (1) The keyword method is better than the rote learning method by using t-test comparisons, especially when the test form is written and the direction of recall is forward. (2) Written test form facilitated recall in the keyword method. The viable explanation for this kind of phenomenon may be that the keyword method requires subject more time in retrieving the target words and written test form does allow subjects more time. That is why the subjects performed better in written test form. (3) Forward recall contributed to the more effective recall in the keyword method. Since the design of the keyword method in the study (L2 keywords) inherently benefited the forward recall, the subjects were bound to perform better in forward recall. (4) Under the same condition, the L2 keyword method was better than the rote learning method in terms of forgetting rate. In other words, the keyword method helped the retention of the vocabulary better than the rote learning method. (5) The results of the vocabulary strategies questionnaire indicated that the subjects preferred “rote-like” strategies to “keyword-like” strategies. After the vocabulary strategies instruction, there were no noticeable changes of preferences in vocabulary learning strategies whether in the keyword method condition or in the rote learning condition. (6) In the keyword questionnaire, the subjects deemed that the keyword method was beneficial to the pronunciation and recall of the target words To sum up, those subjects performed better using the keyword method with L2 keywords perform better in general than subjects using the rote learning method did. As a result, English teachers should implement the keyword method in the curriculum to provide the students with an effective vocabulary learning strategy so that the learners can be equipped with a better strategy to learn such vocabulary.