Vocabulary in the process of learning a foreign language is one of the most important components of language activity and is of paramount importance for communication. And, as the results of psycholinguistic research show, this important role of vocabulary extends to all four skills, including listening, reading, speaking, writing, as well as to other aspects of language, such as grammar and cultural competence. Therefore, successful mastery of foreign lexical materials is one of the most important conditions for learning a foreign language, and the constant expansion of students' vocabulary, its systematic accumulation is considered one of the main tasks of learning a foreign language.
Learning vocabulary is considered not only an extremely important aspect of learning a foreign language, but also one of the most difficult, which necessitates the search for increasingly effective approaches and methods of teaching it, the implementation of new strategies for learning vocabulary. For many decades, scientists have studied the problem of learning lexical material. Thus, in recent years, different approaches to teaching vocabulary have been identified: conscious and unconscious. Thus, conscious learning implies purposeful conscious efforts and occurs through such activities as deliberate memorization of words, performing exercises, using flashcards, purposeful practice through vocabulary dictations, tests, quizzes, etc. Unconscious learning occurs naturally, without special efforts, through activities aimed at other goals, for example, while reading, listening, watching movies, role-playing games, that is, when a person does not have a conscious intention to learn words, but subconsciously remembers them in the process of speech activity, while deliberate learning involves consciously organized and planned learning.
Some researchers believe that conscious learning is not effective enough, because in their opinion, students simply memorize words without connecting their meaning with other words or other forms of it, and only a limited number of words can be learned in this way, while unconscious learning of words occurs in a linguistic context and is more effective [2; 4]. At the same time, supporters of conscious learning note that purposeful learning of vocabulary almost always leads to faster and better achievements, as well as to a greater probability of memorization, and unconscious learning of vocabulary through other types of speech activity has a low level of assimilation [3;5]. A number of researchers believe that only random learning of vocabulary is not enough and should be accompanied by purposeful learning activities [3; 4; 5].
Thus, we conclude that both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. In fact, a conscious approach can be effective for quickly learning new words and deep memorization, but does not lead to the ability to freely use words in context. A subconscious approach can lead to long-term memorization, skills for practical application of words based on automatism, and the ability to use words in context, although it is not as effective for learning a large number of new words in a short period of time or for achieving specific learning goals.
Considering this, an association arises with two learning styles in learning a foreign language - analytical and communicative, and we can make an assumption that for students with each of these styles, the appropriate approach to learning vocabulary is more effective. As analysis show, there are currently various attempts to classify students' learning styles concerning a foreign language learning. Among them, the most common is the classification of P. Skehan [6], which distinguishes four styles of learning foreign languages, which correspond to four psychological and pedagogical types of students - concrete, analytical, communicative and authoritarian. But in our study we will be interested in two of them - analytical and communicative, which correspond to the inclination of their representatives to analytical or communicative teaching methods [1, p. 64]. Let us recall their characteristic features.
Representatives of the analytical style of learning foreign languages are characterized by aversion to high pace, a need for comprehension, a tendency to routine work, analysis. These students use the language more consciously and will not use a word in the process of practical communication if they are not 100% sure that they know and understand it very well, if they have not consciously studied it before. In addition, these students have a better developed visual memory and they perceive information by ear worse. Therefore, they prefer a logical, didactic method of learning, classes from textbooks, conscious memorization of words, performing exercises and independent work in an individual mode. It is these methods of learning a language that will be the most comfortable and effective for them [6].
Unlike the analytical style, representatives of the communicative style of learning foreign languages require a high pace of work, do not perceive the logical presentation of the material, need a variety of types of speech activity, perceive information through feelings and emotions, have well-developed auditory perception skills and prefer intuitive perception of language through its practical application. These students are more courageous in using language, are not afraid to use new words, make mistakes and easily reproduce the vocabulary that they have just heard in the process of communication. Therefore, oral forms of learning, perception of vocabulary by ear through the use of audio materials, dialogues, songs, discussions and conversations, non-analytical, but informative or entertaining reading are more suitable for them [1; 6].
So, based on the above, we come to the understanding that in the process of teaching students foreign language vocabulary: with students of an analytical learning style it will be more effective to use a conscious approach, and vice versa, with students of a communicative learning type, it will be better to use an unconscious approach.
It is clear that a person’s learning style cannot always be characterized as purely analytical or purely communicative, because more often they are combined with one predominant. That is why a combined approach is undoubtedly the best option and you should not limit yourself to one of them. But the one that corresponds to the learning style will be preferable and more effective for a particular student. In view of this, the pedagogical task is that, trying to develop all aspects of the personality to the maximum, gradually combining all types of activity, it is necessary to rely better on the strengths of the person, and not to emphasize and highlight the weaknesses, which can negatively affect both the student’s motivation to study and the effectiveness and quality of this learning [1; 6].
Thus, disagreements among researchers in understanding the effectiveness of using a conscious or unconscious approach to learning lexical material when teaching students a foreign language can be resolved by correlating them with the student's preferred learning style, as well as using their combined form in the learning process.
References:
1. Shestopalova I.O. Indyvidualizatsiya navchannya inozemnykh mov u vyshchiy shkoli Velykoyi Brytaniyi. – K.: Naukovyy svit, 2004
2. Ahmad, J. (2012). Intentional vs. incidental vocabulary learning. ELT Research Journal. Vol. 1(1), 71- 79.
3. Coady, J. (2001). Research on ESL/EFL vocabulary acquisition: Putting it in context. In T. Huckin, M. Haynes,& J. Coady (Eds), Second Language Reading and Vocabulary Learning, (pp. 3-23). New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation Norwood.
4. Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Schmitt, N. (2008). Review article: Instructed second language vocabulary learning. Language Teaching Research. Vol. 12(3), 329-363.
6. Skehan P. Memory, language aptitude and second language performance // Polyglot, 1980. - № 2. – P. 91-94.
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