The Relationship Between Critical Thinking and Self-regulation in Vocabulary Learning

Abstract

With the flourishing interest in the role of learners in the field of second/foreign language learning and teaching, the quest for how students become self-regulated has attracted researchers for decades. The present study attempted to investigate whether there is any relationship between critical thinking ability and self-regulation in vocabulary learning of EFL learners. Therefore, in order to collect the related data, a revised version of the Vocabulary Levels Test (Schmitt, 2000) was administered to 130 students to establish their homogeneity in terms of their vocabulary knowledge. In the second stage, the critical thinking questionnaire (Honey, 2004) and the Self-regulating Capacity Vocabulary Learning Scale (Dornyei, Schmitt & Tseng, 2006) were administered to the selected participants to specify the critical thinking ability and self-regulation in vocabulary learning of EFL learners. The obtained results of the statistical analyses indicated a strong relationship between critical thinking ability and self-regulation in vocabulary learning. Moreover, there was a high correlation between the students’ critical thinking ability and L2 vocabulary knowledge. In addition, the findings revealed that EFL learners’ self-regulation in vocabulary learning was correlated with their L2 vocabulary knowledge.

Keywords

• Critical thinking
• Self-regulation
• Vocabulary learning

Kelime Öğreniminde Eleştirel Düşünme ve Özdenetim Arasındaki İlişki

Öz

İkinci/yabancı dil öğrenimi ve öğretimi alanında öğrenicilerin rolünün ne olduğuna dair artan ilgiyle birlikte, öğrenicilerin nasıl özdenetimci hale geldikleri arayışı onlarca yıldır araştırmacıları kendine çekmiştir. Bu çalışmada, İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenenlerin kelime öğreniminde eleştirel düşünme yetenekleri ile özdenetimleri arasında herhangi bir ilişki olup olmadığı araştırılmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu nedenle ilgili verileri toplamak amacıyla 130 katılımcıya Kelime Bilgisi Düzeyleri Testi'nin (Schmitt, 2000) revize edilmiş versiyonu uygulanarak kelime bilgilerindeki türdeşlik tespit edilmiştir. İkinci aşamada, seçilen katılımcılara eleştirel düşünme becerisi ve sözcük dağarcığındaki özdenetimi belirlemek için eleştirel düşünme anketi (Honey, 2004) ve Özdenetim Kapasitesi Kelime Öğrenme Ölçeği (Dornyei, Schmitt & Tseng, 2006) uygulanmıştır. İstatistiksel analizlerden elde edilen sonuçlar, kelime öğreniminde eleştirel düşünme yeteneği ile özdenetim arasında güçlü bir ilişki olduğunu göstermiştir. Ayrıca, öğrenicilerin eleştirel düşünme yeteneği ile yabancı dil kelime bilgisi arasında yüksek bir korelasyon olduğu saptanmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Eleştirel düşünme
• Özdenetim
• Kelime öğrenme

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