AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THE USE OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY THE FIRST-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

Abstract

This study investigated the first-year non-English major students’ perceptions on vocabulary learning strategies and the effects of these strategies on their vocabulary learning at Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry. The research method approach of the study was qualitative method with the main data collection instrument was a semi-structured interview. The major findings of the research showed that the students of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry were aware of the importance of vocabulary learning; they spent time on consolidating new words and improving retention. Most of them, on the other hand, thought that the strategies they used in discovering and consolidating words had positive effects on their lexical retaining; however, they did not systematically keep track of their learning. It is therefore essential for some implications and recommendations to be suggested for vocabulary learning.