Similarities and Differences Across Metacognitive and Cognitive Strategies in Learning L2 Vocabulary by Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the similarities and differences across intermediate and advanced levels in terms of using metacognitive and cognitive strategies in L2 vocabulary learning by Iranian EFL learners. To achieve this aim 120 Iranian EFL learners (60 intermediate and 60 advanced) were randomly selected from 150 EFL learners after administering the Nelson English Language Test. Afterwards, some parts of Schmitt’s Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS) were adapted from Bennet (2006) with reliability coefficient of 0.72, and were distributed among students in the form of questionnaire to find out which strategies learners used to learn vocabulary. This study chose just 12 strategies out of 55 strategies which contained 7 strategies which were related to cognitive strategy and 5 strategies which are related to metacognitive strategy. The whole data gathered by Nelson English Language Test and VLSQ were analyzed through SPSS by applying descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, t-test and chi-square test. The findings showed that there was a crucial similarity in using one of these 12 strategies (cognitive and metacognitive strategies).