THE SIGNIFICANCE OF VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION IN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: A SYNTHESIS OF APPROACHES WITHIN CHINA’S EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK.

Abstract

In this study, the vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) utilised by students who are learning English as a foreign language (EFL) were investigated. Through the completion of a VLSs questionnaire, a total of 71 English majors from a Chinese institution took part in this research project. A wide range of educational levels, from undergraduate to graduate, were represented among the students. According to the findings of the study, students frequently employed strategies that involved cognitive and determination. Using visual and textual repetition, practicing spelling and sound, taking notes with a focus on meaning, memorising fixed phrases and sentences, using bilingual dictionaries, making educated guesses about the meanings of words, and learning Chinese equivalents were all strategies that they employed. In addition, students learnt techniques for engaging in self-talk in order to assist them in overcoming the anxiety that is associated with learning a new language. Metacognitive and social/affective methods, on the other hand, were not exploited to their full potential. Additionally, a smaller number of people relied on memory tricks such as word associations or grammatical patterns. Those students who had completed greater levels of education displayed more pronounced indicators of vocabulary expansion and word association acquisition. As a result, the amount of learning maturity of the students had an impact on the variable learning systems that they selected. It is the responsibility of English teachers to steer their pupils in the proper path by providing them with a plan of action and encouraging the learning of new vocabulary through activities such as group projects and classroom discussions. The researcher’s vocabulary can be expanded by reading a lot and reading slowly on the side. This is another piece of advice that The Researcher should take.