How Learners, Context, Tasks, and Strategies affect Vocabulary Acquisition in a Foreign Language
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62997/psi.2025b-42081Keywords:
Vocabulary Learning Strategies, Vocabulary Acquisition, Contextualization, Cognitive and Metacognitive StrategiesAbstract
Vocabulary acquisition is one of the core parts of foreign language learning. It is unswervingly prompting students' communicative skills and educational achievement. The present research study explores the multi-layered methods of vocabulary acquirement by probing four fundamental dimensions: The Learner, The Learning Context, The Task type, and Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS). Illustrating on pragmatic evidence and hypothetical bases from second language acquisition (SLA) research, the study discovers how individual learner differences like language skills, ability, motivation, intellectual, and cognitive skills interact with relative variables, including teaching styles, tutorial room setting, acquaintance with real language contribution, and so on. Moreover, the role of task proposal is examined, highlighting the effect of task difficulty, grammatical choices, and communicative objects on vocabulary acquisition and its practical usage. Specific consideration is devoted to vocabulary learning strategies, both Cognitive (e.g., revision, rote learning, rehearsal and contextualization, etc.) and Metacognitive (e.g., planning, monitoring), as intermediaries in the learning course. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been used for data collection. The findings of the study show that both cognitive and metacognitive strategies are equally important for vocabulary building. There is no single option for vocabulary acquisition. For better vocabulary building, competent teachers and modern teaching styles are equally required. The study gives insight to curriculum planners and policymakers to keep in mind individual learners' needs while finalizing the curriculum. Both teacher-centred and student-centred approaches are the need of the hour for gaining mastery of excellent vocabulary building.
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