Empirical Study on Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies and Efficiency among Non-English Major Undergraduates

Abstract

Based on Nation’s Vocabulary Knowledge Framework and Schmitt’s Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Strategy Theory, this study takes 320 non-English major undergraduates from 3 universities in Shanghai as research subjects. Adopting a combination of questionnaire survey, quantitative data analysis, and follow-up experiment, it systematically explores the impact mechanisms of four vocabulary acquisition strategies (root and affix strategy, contextual guessing strategy, rote memorization strategy, associative memory strategy) on second language vocabulary acquisition efficiency, and examines the moderating effect of language proficiency (divided by CET-4 scores into high, intermediate, and low proficiency groups). The results show that: contextual guessing strategy is significantly positively correlated with vocabulary acquisition efficiency (r=0.42, p<0.01), and this effect is not moderated by language proficiency; the positive effect of root and affix strategy is only significant among high-proficiency learners (r=0.35, p<0.05); low-proficiency learners’ dependence on rote memorization strategy (M=3.89) is significantly higher than that of high-proficiency learners (M=3.21, t=3.17, p<0.01); associative memory strategy is significantly positively correlated with efficiency (r=0.30, p<0.01), while rote memorization strategy is significantly negatively correlated with efficiency (r=-0.28, p<0.05). Based on these findings, this study constructs a localized teaching model of "hierarchical strategy guidance + contextualized training", providing empirical evidence for the optimization of college second language vocabulary teaching.