Selecting

This particular research was conducted under the light of Martha Rapp Haggard’s vocabulary approach known as Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS). The aim of this particular research was to enhance the active usage of vocabulary in learners with the help of VSS. Moreover, the current study was based on the role of VSS in an English language learning classroom at intermediate level. A diagnostic pre-test was conducted on the ‘vocabulary self-collection group’ and the ‘controlled group’. The two groups were enrolled in two sections of the same reading and writing course of this diploma course. The learners who belonged to ‘vocabulary self-collection group’ were asked to self-collect words to improve their vocabulary, whereas the ‘controlled group’ was taught the vocabulary in usual manner. After two weeks of practice, the unseen post-test was administered from both the groups. The performance of both groups in the post-test was statistically analyzed and the results were quite optimistic, as vocabulary self-collection group outperformed the controlled group. The participants of this research were the researchers and the students of the intermediate level, from diploma classes at NUML. This particular research was based on qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative data was gathered through the pre-test and the post-test and the qualitative data was attained by the observation of the researcher who analyzed the scores. The research tools were lesson plans, pre-test, and post-test. The current study material used in this course were five illustrated texts for intermediate level and vocabulary journals of the students. The sample size included 46 students of diploma level from National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. The implementation of this particular strategy led to several


Introduction
An effective communication depends on one of the most important assets of a language, vocabulary. Vocabulary development is an important component in the areas of academic performance. Moreover, it is an instructional design providing direct and explicit experience with the most suitable words for vocabulary development process among the language learners. In 1982, Martha Rapp Haggard (1982 introduced the Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS), to encourage the process of general vocabulary development in the students of secondary classes. Furthermore, the preselected lists of words used by the students with their personal interest are studied on weekly basis in this strategy. This is an alternative approach totally different from traditional instructions and it is based on the student generated word lists. It further focuses on the personal experience and world knowledge of students. The term 'vocabulary self-selection strategy', 'vocabulary self-collection strategy', and VSS have been used interchangeably by the scholars and the present research intends to do the same.
While performing VSS activity, students actively interact with peers in their class and share those words they feel are important, interesting, and unfamiliar. Students are assigned to bring a new word to the class which they think the entire class should learn from each other. The teacher also takes part in this activity and brings a new word. Besides, every new word that is selected, should be from the environment. The participants should determine the meaning from the context as best as they can. On the day of presentation, the students should tell:  From where did they find the word?  The definition that they derived from the context.

UMT Education Review
Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 2022  Why the class should learn each new word provided by them?
During the discussion period, teachers clarify the meanings of words which are incomprehensible to the students, in any way. Teacher as well as the other students share further information as per their knowledge during the discussion. They possess the knowledge about the word and share their respective definitions/meanings of their selected words so that they arrive at an agreed upon definition. And if desirable, the definition may then be compared to the dictionary definition.
The words chosen by class are jotted down. The list of those chosen words is narrowed down then by eliminating duplications. Those words are the main focus during the neglecting process which are already known by the class students, and they do not wish to learn anymore. Then, the students record that particular list in their vocabulary journal. At the culmination of every week, the students are tested from the selected word list. The following day to the test, the same cycle begins (Haggard, The vocabulary self-collection strategy: Using student interest and world knowledge to enhance vocabulary growth, 1986). This strategy has been applied on students of different grade levels in instructional context producing the fruitful results. Students working on vocabulary are fed with the new content words through this strategy.
As the strategy emphasizes the context (telling from where the word was found) and why should the class learn it, VSS would be useful, particularly for English language classrooms. With the help of this strategy words are presented by the learners and are discussed for their contextual understanding. This stimulates the speaking fluency of the learner and it also reinforces the knowledge of commonplace occurrences.
According to the linguist Conor McDonough Quinn, the greatest hindrance that people face while learning a new language is their fear of not being able to speak (Kaufmann, 2017). They feel embarrassed when they cannot express their intended meaning. Moreover, they can read, but they cannot speak and if they speak the language with the help of passive vocabulary, they may quickly become the active users of that particular language. Ultimately, this reveals that the proper understanding of a person while it's reading and listening, would make one speak well.
Redman notes that there are two types of vocabulary, productive (active), and receptive (passive), vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary includes those language items which can be recognized and comprehended in the context of reading and listening material. Productive vocabulary, on the other hand, includes those language items which can be recalled and used by learners in their speech and writing activity. These terms are often called as passive' and 'active' vocabulary (Gamed & Redman, 1986).
The current study has multiple implications for the learners of diploma classes as well as for the teachers. The students would enhance their vocabulary by eagerly reading the text. It would foster teamwork, collaboration, and negotiation among peers in the classroom, ultimately making students to express their ideas more confidently. This study aims to foster autonomy in students. Learners participating in the student-centered classes would find the learning process more meaningful as they would actively engage themselves in this learning activity. According to Cannon (2000), learning can only be enhanced in such an environment where learners feel their responsibility to perform an activity with full devotion. However, students' self-selection of words is a 'vocabulary teaching tool' that is very powerful and builds the autonomy skills in learners. Follow up activities, such as writing a vocabulary journal, by the learner, would be a beneficial tool for diploma classes, and would make the lessons more interesting and enjoyable for the learners. This study would help the teachers to impart their knowledge to the students more easily, accurately, and with reduced effort, in contrast to the efforts made by teachers in traditional classroom settings. Hence, the teachers would help students in building up a lexicon and would make them capable of storing, keeping, and retrieving the list of words, when needed.

Objectives
The main aims of the current research are: 1. To study the role of Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS), in an English language learning classroom 2. To make receptive vocabulary of the students productive with the help of Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS).

Statement of the Problem
In the present scenario, the focus of both teaching and learning of a second language is directed to more student-centered classrooms. (VSS) is one such strategy that helps to enhance the vocabulary of ESL learners in a student-centered classroom activity. This particular study observes the application process of VSS, examines its implications, and investigates its impacts on Intermediate level of language learners at NUML.

Hypothesis
Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS), fortifies the active vocabulary of an ESL learner.

Significance of the Research
There is an acute dearth of research on VSS as a vocabulary-building teaching technique in Pakistani ELT context. The present study endeavors to fill the existing gaps, where the strategy could be utilized in the Pakistani ELT context. The current study aims to increase students' command on vocabulary and provide input for teachers to motivate their learners, and fetch their learners' attention towards English vocabulary. This study is a contribution for readers, especially those who are associated with English Departments.

Delimitation of the Research
This study is delimited to the learning of English vocabulary with the help of VSS at intermediate r diploma level at National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad.

Literature Review
Vocabulary, in simple words, is the comprehension of the known words. For a foreign language learner, to know the basic vocabulary of the target language is very important. Similarly, to learn English language, a learner needs to gain ascendancy over vocabularies. Therefore, a teacher must show creativity in teaching a learning process to develop the learners' vocabulary. The teaching method should not only motivate the students to learn vocabulary, but it should also make the students autonomous. VSS is Department of Education Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 2022 one such teaching technique that caters to the needs of the teacher as well as the learners.
Furthermore, VSS is an interactive-learning instructional strategy which promotes word consciousness. Haggard (1982) was the first one to develop this strategy in 1982. In this strategy, "the students were required to choose and select a word in a text or other sources based on their choice to learn" (Ruddell & Shearer, 2002). According to Farstrup and Samuel (2008), this strategy works like a cooperative structure that help the learners in identifying unfamiliar words in a provided text. The students select new and interesting words from the given text list by using the context they determine the meaning of the selected words. Besides, the current study recommends the selected words to be learned by the rest of the students in the group or class. Furthermore, Haggard asserts that the use of VSS is better than traditional instruction, because there are certain ways that are to be followed. Such as students first select the word as per their choice, define the word from the context, finalize the word list supported by discussion in small group or class, and record the words and definitions in their 'vocabulary journals' (Haggard, 1986).
According to Antonacci & O'Callaghan, the purpose of VSS is to promote word awareness in students and to motivate themto acquire new words which would support them in their academia (academic success). Like Ruddell, Antonacci and O'Callaghan (2011) also concur that VSS can be better implemented, if students work together in small groups. Nunan (1999) finds that the discussion between learners, about the meanings of the new words, provides accurate and useful information about words. Moreover, simple definitions are the most effective ones. As VSS makes students work cooperatively and construct simple definitions of words through context, which is very effective.
There are many essential purposes for the application of VSS. Firstly, this strategy stimulates students to link the knowledge of word definition to the knowledge of understanding the context-setting of words, hence it activates the memory of the learner with regards to the word and world (Haggard, 1982). Secondly, meaningful learning takes place through the discussion of words and provides an opportunity for practice. Thirdly, the UMT Education Review Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 2022 focus of VSS is the choice of students in learning which promotes motivation and self-efficiency (Haggard, 1986;Ruddell & Shearer, 2002). Students who get accustomed to use VSS become eager in choosing more challenging words and they also begin to develop a systematic and independent word-learning strategy of themselves, that would enable them in learning words more quickly (Haggard, 1986). Fourthly, the main focus of efficient readers is on increasing vocabulary. Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy is not only used to increase the vocabulary but also to increase the ability of reading the text (Jiménez et al., 1996). Lastly, the words learned through VSS become a part of long-term memory because the students acquire the vocabulary as well as the meaning from the text that they used. They not only learn the vocabulary in context but also learnt to use a useful reading strategy that would help them understand their current text and other texts to be read in the future.
Readence, Bean, and Baldwin state that through VSS students produce an explored word list. While formulating the list students used their prior knowledge as well as interests to increase their vocabulary. An internal motivation drives the learners to produce the self-generated word list. This strategy makes language learning fascinating and enjoyable for the learners (Readence et al., 2001).
According to Gunning, developing students' interest in words can help the teacher in increasing the vocabulary of the students. Haggard made an analysis of those students who self-recorded the development in their vocabulary. From their responses he came to know that the internal motivation was the main reason that compelled the learners to learn the new words. The learners either felt the need of learning new words or developed an interest in learning unusual words (Haggard, 1986).
Harmon and Hedrick conducted a review of research on vocabulary instructions and claimed that when teachers "encourage independent learning by allowing students to self-select terms to be studied" then struggling readers can learn vocabulary more easily and quickly (p.275). According to them, VSS instigates students to select and learn those words which are important (Harmon et al., 2005) reading and teaching the discourse around the text after reading (Calderon et al., 2005).
"VSS incorporates two features which differ from traditional instruction: use of student-generated (as opposed to preselected) word lists, and emphasis on student experience and world knowledge" (Haggard, 1986).In the light of the above review, which shows the implication of Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy VSS in various contexts across the globe, the researcher aims to conduct a study that tests the implication of VSS in a Pakistani ESL context.

Mode of Inquiry
It is qualitative as well as quantitative research. It explores the use of Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy and then analyses the effect of it in an English language classroom.

Type of Research
The study is experimental research. There is a Vocabulary Self-Collection (VSS) group and a Controlled group. A diagnostic pre-test is collected from both groups. The experimental group self-selects words from the given text and controlled group is taught the text by the traditional teaching method. After about six weeks of erudition with three sessions per week, post-tests were administered from both groups. The performance of both groups was statistically evaluated.

Sampling
The sample includes forty-six students of diploma level class from National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad.

Lesson Plans
The lesson aimed at making the students look for words in a text that they thought are important for the comprehension of the text. The meaning of the words was to be inferred from the clues surrounding the words. The duration of the lesson plan was 20 minutes. A set of 12 lesson plans were UMT Education Review Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 2022 designed to execute the strategy from the prescribed material for the diploma class which is 'New Headway Upper-Intermediate Student's Book' by John and Liz Soars

Pre-Test
At the beginning of the course, a diagnostic pre-test was administered from the students of both groups. The test consisted of twenty questions.
The aim of this test was to find the vocabulary knowledge of the students and to find out whether the students are familiar with the vocabulary they would be exposed to. The learners were instructed to answer all the questions even if they were not sure about the correct answer. This pre-test was scored for analysis.

Post-Test
After six weeks of using the Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy with Vocabulary Self-Collection group, an achievement post-test was administered to the learners. The marks obtained by the learners were scored by using the same procedure as used for the pre-test. The test was scored in order to determine the development and the changes that took place in the vocabulary knowledge of the students.

Materials
 Five illustrated texts for intermediate level and the prescribed material for the diploma class, were given to the Vocabulary Self-Selection group. Controlled group also followed the same text.
 Vocabulary Journals which would be used for storing and recording words with their definitions by the Vocabulary Self-Collection group.

Theoretical Framework
The study is conducted in the light of Martha Rapp Haggard's Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy (VSS) outlined in her work 'The vocabulary self-collection strategy: Using student interest and world knowledge to enhance vocabulary growth' (Haggard, 1986).

Department of Education
Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 2022

Procedure
To achieve the purpose of the study, following steps were undertaken in the process of research which aimed at enhancing the vocabulary of the students.
Step 1 At the beginning of the course, a diagnostic pre-test was conducted from the students to test the level of their vocabulary. This pre-test was given to students belonging to two sections of intermediate/diploma class of English. One section was the Vocabulary Self-Selection Group and the other was the Controlled group. The pretest of the students was scored for analysis.

Step 2
In order to carry out the research, six short texts were utilized from 'New Headway Upper-Intermediate Student's Book' by John and Liz Soars from which the students selected the vocabulary of their choice to enhance their vocabulary knowledge. Both the groups included twenty-three students from the diploma class of English. Twelve classes were taken (each week 3 classes) which lasted for about six weeks. The time given to apply the strategy was 20 minutes. The students were asked to make random groups of four individuals. Every group had the same text. Learners were asked to go through the texts and were asked to find out words that they believed should be learnt by the class. Every group came up with words. Each student shared his/her ideas about the vocabulary he/she had selected and other students added information to it. Students related meanings to the text events and to their personal experiences. Each group was to self-select eight words. Many groups came up with the same words that were later deleted. Two words were presented by each group to the class. One member from each group stepped forward and wrote down their chosen words on the whiteboard. The students and the researcher discussed the meaning of the vocabulary. Finally, taking help from the dictionary the researcher simplified the definitions and everyone mutually agreed upon the simplified definitions of the words. These definitions were recorded by the students in their vocabulary journals.

UMT Education Review
Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 2022 Step 3 To administer the achievement a post-test was conducted among the students of Vocabulary Self-Selection Group and the controlled group. Same procedures were adopted to score the post-test as the one used in the pre-test. The scores determined the changes and development that took place in the vocabulary knowledge of students belonging to the functional course.

Data Collection and Analysis
In this section the data collected through pre-test and post-test will be encoded and analyzed. At first, the scores of pre-test and post-test of controlled group will be tabulated and the average and percentage of the scores would be calculated. The demonstration of scores of pre-test and post-test will be made through graph. Similarly, the pre-test and post-test scores of the Vocabulary Self-Collection group would be tabulated and the average and percentage of their scores would be calculated. Their scores would also be demonstrated through the graph. Finally, the average scores and percentage of all the tests conducted, by from both groups, would be analyzed.

Controlled Group
Before the initiation of the course, a diagnostic pretest was conducted for the Controlled group. Among 20 learners, an average of 72.25% produced correct answers. Table 1 shows the pretest results in detail. There was no conduct done on Controlled groups and post-tests were administered after two weeks. The average of correct answers of students was 55.7%.

Vocabulary Self-Collection Group
Before the commencement of the course, a diagnostic pretest was conducted for the Vocabulary Self-Collection group. Among 20 learners, the average of 54.4% produced correct answers. Table 3 shows the pretest results in detail. After conduct which lasted for two weeks, post-tests were administered from the same section of the intermediate functional course group. The average of correct answers of students was 67.75%.

Distribution of Pre-Test and Post-Test Scores of Vocabulary Self-Collection Group
The comparison of the averages of the pre-test and post-test scores of the controlled group and vocabulary self-collection group indicated that there was a difference between the performance of the vocabulary self- The aim of the research was to improve the vocabulary of diploma students by using VSS. Learners of the controlled group did not perform well in the post-test. Their average percentage was 72.25% in the pre-test with 14.45 out of 20 as the average score and their average percentage in the post-test was 55.75% with 11.15 out of 20 as their average score. Comparing the controlled group with VSS group, a great improvement was observed in the VSS group. The average percentage of their pre-test was 54.5% and the average marks scored by the class were 10.9 out of 20. The students performed much better in the post-test after the application of VSS. The average post-test score of the class was 13.55 out of 20 which constituted an average percentage of 67.75%. The controlled group performed poorly in the post-test as compared to the pre-test because the post-test included vocabulary that was chosen by the VSS group. The average score of VSS group in the pre-test was 10.9 out of 20which was less than the controlled group whose score was 14.5 out of 20.
The result reflects the fact that the VSS group had less grip on vocabulary as compared to the controlled group. Later when they themselves selected words from the text that was given to them and related the words to their personal life and context, the vocabulary became a part of their active memory. The researcher tested this by making the students fit the chosen words into those sentences that they previously did not know. They opted for the correct word by understanding the meaning from the context of the sentence. Same words that were taught to the controlled group in usual manner became a part of their passive memory because they neither associated the words with their day today incidence or their personal life while they were learning the text. They did not catch hold of the vocabulary and hence they could not produce well in the post-test. The Vocabulary Self-Collection group was asked to choose those words that they thought were difficult and crucial for understanding the text. The same text was taught to both the groups that included the vocabulary that was explicitly discussed by the VSS group and the controlled group was taught in usual manner. According to Haggard (1986), Vocabulary Self-Selection strategy possesses UMT Education Review Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 2022 a feature that differs from traditional instruction; it focuses on studentgenerated word lists as opposed to word lists that are preselected.
The post-test was made from the words that the VSS group found difficult and were made to write the words in their vocabulary journals. The controlled group found the test a bit difficult in comparison to the pre-test. The average score of the controlled group in the post-test was less than the score of the pre-test. In contrast, the average score of the VSS group in posttest was greater than the pre-test in spite of the fact that the VSS group performed weaker than the controlled group in the pre-test. The results clearly show that the controlled group performance was not satisfactory in the achievement post-test and the VSS group performed much better.
During the experiment, the VSS group proved to be more motivated in assuming the meanings of the words they did not know. The researcher demonstrated to the learners the way to select and choose the important words from the texts. For demonstration, a difficult word was selected from the text and it was explained to the learners that how without knowing few key words, understanding of the texts would be hindered. It was also shown to the learners that they may use their contextual clues to make a guess of the meaning of the unknown words. Thus, the researcher encouraged and motivated the learners to self-select those words which were thought to play a key role in the understanding of the texts. On the other hand, the controlled group did not have the liberty of choosing the words themselves. They came across some enhanced vocabularies that were necessary for comprehending the text, but they could not comprehend the meaning easily. They did not find themselves to be confident and independent as the experimental group i.e. VSS group did. Also, like any other experimental study, it worked on the principle of the Pygmalion effect; the experimental group's performance was expected to excel more than the control group's performance. This was so in this study clearly.
Vocabulary Self-Selection strategy is different from the other approaches as it emphasizes student's choice of words that are to be studied. Moreover, it focuses on students experience as the basis to determine the meaning of the word. According to Haggard (1986), VSS is a constructive teaching strategy as it activates student's enthusiasm and interest, not only builds but expands the word knowledge and also inculcates autonomous Department of Education Volume 5 Issue 1, Spring 2022 learning behaviors. With the help of VSS, students focus on those words that they need to know which ultimately leads to their independency.
It is concluded that the vocabulary self-collection strategy was effective in improving the vocabulary knowledge of diploma course learners.

Conclusion
It is indicated from the statistical analysis that the vocabulary knowledge of the learners was enhanced when they were taught with Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy. This particular strategy developed a sense of participation in students as they were supposed to choose words of their own choice for the discussion activity. The results of post-test clearly indicate that the VSS group outperformed the controlled group. Hence, application of VSS was efficacious, valuable, and worthwhile.
While, students often feel bored because of the unfamiliar words present in the provided text. Looking up the dictionary also does not suffice, as students find it a hectic job. Also, words have diverse meanings depending on the context. The VSS strategy provides a solution to these difficulties. The practice of this particular strategy makes the students find the meanings of the words through clues. Such as other words, phrases, and sentences in the given text.

Research Implications
There are number of pedagogical inferences which can be drawn from the current study based on the results: Firstly, when the prescribed text of any course is taught in an effective manner to the learners, it proves out to increase the vocabulary knowledge and also makes it a part of their active memory. Secondly, working in collaboration with classmates, the psychological barriers of the students are removed. In this way, they can easily express themselves freely by making the learning environment optimal for the students. This is in contrast to the teacher-centered traditional classroom settings, where the role of students remains passive. Thirdly, this strategy turns the common classroom into a student-centered classroom, where they self-select a list of words by making the students autonomous that ultimately engages them to participate actively. Fourthly, this strategy focuses on the words and their meanings hence, it is a very effective way to enhance vocabulary. Fifthly, students are asked to write words in their vocabulary journals that can be reviewed by them later on. Sixthly, administering a test from the words written by the students in their vocabulary journals helps the students to attain mastery over the words. Seventhly, words learnt in isolation can never be retained. When the words are learnt in a context or associated with the day to day life of an individual; they become a part of the active vocabulary and are retained for a longer period of time. Finally, students begin taking interest in reading activity that is often considered boring for many students.
The current research is a contribution to vocabulary-building teaching techniques in Pakistani ELT context. This particular research fills this gap that the strategy can be utilized in our context. The current study demonstrates that students can not only comprehend but can also hold a grip over the learnt vocabulary. Furthermore, it provides an input for the teachers to motivate their learners and to fetch their learners' attention towards English vocabulary. Hence, this study is a special contribution to those readers who are associated with English Departments.

Recommendations for Future Researchers
The present study aimed to gather data from a limited number of participants, time frame, and only intermediate-level ESL learners. However, the current study may be expanded to a larger group of learners, an entire semester or study program, to other levels like beginners, and advanced groups of ESL as well as EFL learners. In addition, future researchers can extend the present research by manipulating VSS strategy to the levels of learners. In this way, they can also contribute to the implementation of this strategy in a more flexible manner in an ESL or EFL classrooms.