FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR VOCABULARY LEARNING

Abstract

The current study investigates the perceptions of the first-year non-English major students at Dien Bien Teacher Training College (DBTTC) regarding the factors affecting English vocabulary learning and their impacts. A sequential exploratory mixed methods approach was used in this study. The data were collected by a questionnaire administered to 104 first-year non- English major students and semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 of them. The research findings indicated that among eight factors affecting students’ vocabulary learning, the most important ones include individual and situational factors, students’ attitude and motivation, pronunciation and teaching methods with various activities. The findings also showed that students were less influenced by rote learning despite significant impacts of their aptitude. Based on these findings, recommendations for both teachers and students are produced to facilitate English vocabulary teaching and learning