Promoting self-regulation in vocabulary learning among Chinese EFL learners: A needs analysis

Promoting students' independence in vocabulary learning has Seen one of the instructional goals in language education. Based on the Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) theory from social cognitive learning perspective, learning strategies and motivational beliefs (e.g., self-efficacy, task interest) are the key interrelated factors of SRL, which are crucial for learners' academic performance. This study investigated learners' needs in terms of cognitive and metacognitive strategy use as well as their perceptions and knowledge in vocabulary learning. Both qualitative and quantitative research techniques were applied to collect data with 38 pre-university Chinese EFL learners studying at University of Malaya. The findings revealed that the students possessed insufficient knowledge of high-frequency words and were deficient in using cognitive deep processing strategies (e.g., semantic grouping, word structure) and metacognitive self-regulatory strategies (e.g., self-initiation, goal-setting, planning, self-monitoring and self-evaluation); besides, it indicated that learners' low self-efficacy and motivation might be due to the lack of strategy knowledge, which in turn affect their strategy performance. The study suggests that there is a pressing need to enhance learners' self-regulation in learning vocabulary through explicit strategy instruction which emphasize cognitive, metacognitive and motivational aspects of learning