CHALLENGES IN LEARNING ENGLISH VOCABULARY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: AN EXPLORATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Abstract

Vocabulary acquisition is widely acknowledged as a cornerstone of English language learning; yet secondary school students consistently encounter significant obstacles in internalising and retaining new lexical items. This study, grounded in Exploratory Action Research (EAR), investigates the nature and scope of vocabulary learning challenges experienced by 28 students (A2–B1 level) at School No. 42, Kosonsoy District. Data were gathered through reflective journals, structured classroom observations, and a student questionnaire. Findings reveal that the most pervasive difficulties include pronunciation, spelling, rapid forgetting, and lack of contextualised exposure. Drawing on Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and Harmer’s communicative methodology, the study proposes an action plan centred on multimodal, interactive vocabulary instruction. Post-intervention retention data indicate a marked improvement in lexical recall over four weeks. The paper concludes with recommendations for curriculum designers and classroom practitioners.