Learning English Vocabulary via Online Communication : a study of vocabulary learning strategies used by English learners in Lithuania

Abstract: The aim of the thesis is to investigate vocabulary learning strategies that are used and perceived to be helpful by English learners while communicating online. The participants of the study are 20 young Lithuanian English learners (23-28 years old) who use online communication on a weekly basis. The method of the research is a combination of a questionnaire and a follow-up email interview. The questionnaire items are based on Schmitt’s taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies (1997), while the interview questions deal both with certain choices in the questionnaire and general attitudes towards online communication. The results of the study show that an overwhelming majority of the respondents are experienced users of a number of online communication types and mostly interact via emails and short messages about leisure and work issues. The most used vocabulary strategies are different from the ones perceived to be most helpful. Although the respondents tend to choose individual determination strategies to discover a new word’s meaning, they believe social strategies to be highly beneficial. A conclusion might be made that as long as language learners are provided with instructions, socializing on the Internet might be a tool of English vocabulary learning.