The Exploration of English Vocabulary Learning Used by the First-Year Undergraduate Students of Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan – Ok: Chakrabongse Bhuvanarth Campus The Exploration of English Vocabulary Learning Used by the First-Year Undergraduate Students of Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan – Ok: Chakrabongse Bhuvanarth Campus

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to explore the English vocabulary learning strategies that were mostly used by a group of Thai university students, and which strategies that were the least used. The samples consisted of 50 first-year university students majoring in Management. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Mean and standard deviation were used for statistical interpretation of the questionnaires, and the interviews were transcribed and analyzed to get further information on students’ opinions. Research results revealed that the students employed five strategies in learning English vocabulary, which were determination, social, memory, cognitive and metacognitive. The strategy that was ranked as the most-used strategy was asking a teacher to check word lists for accuracy (Social Strategies), and the least-used strategy was listening to a tape of word lists (Cognitive Strategies).