"GUESSING FROM CONTEXT: ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGY IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS IN THE MEKONG DELTA "

Abstract

"In digital environments, students of English Teacher Education often encounter unfamiliar words and have to decide on the choice of strategy to process their meanings. This study explores their use of Guessing from Context as a vocabulary learning strategy through three research questions investigating the students’ frequency of using the strategy, the way they apply it on digital tools and platforms, and the challenges they face. A descriptive quantitative design was used, and data were gathered via the use of a questionnaire completed by one hundred and four students (N = 104) at the School of Foreign Languages of West University in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The results indicate that approximately 86.5% of the participants reported using Guessing from Context when they encounter unknown words online. With respect to digital tools, about 87.5% claimed that they usually check their guesses through online dictionaries or chatbots after inferring meaning from context. Regarding the difficulties, about 75.1% responded that limited vocabulary and grammar knowledge make the strategy of Guessing from Context less effective. The current study proposes pedagogical implications for supporting strategic vocabulary learning in digital settings."