English-Majored Students' Perceptions of The Impact of Using Synonyms and Antonyms in Academic Essay Writing.

Abstract

Vocabulary diversity plays a pivotal role in academic writing proficiency, particularly for English-majored students striving to enhance their rhetorical competence. While various methods exist to expand vocabulary, the strategic use of synonyms and antonyms remains a complex challenge in constructing argumentative meaning. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate (1) students’ perceptions of the benefits, and (2) students’ perceptions of the challenges encountered when using synonyms and antonyms in academic essay writing. A mixed-methods design was employed to ensure a comprehensive analysis. Quantitative data were collected via questionnaires from 118 English-majored students at the School of Foreign Languages, Can Tho University, and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Additionally, qualitative insights were gathered through semi-structured interviews a purposive sample of 5 students from the High-Quality program to explore underlying strategies. Regarding the first finding, the results indicate that students perceive synonyms not merely as tools for translation, but as essential elements for “identity construction”, aiming to maintain a “sophisticated academic tone”. However, a notable contradiction was found as students tend to prioritize “stylistic fluency” over “structural coherence”. Regarding the second finding, the data reveals that student writers frequently struggle to balance lexical complexity with logical coherence. Specifically, the pressure to paraphrase often disrupts the logical flow of their arguments. Consequently, participants reported employing a strategy of cross-referencing multiple sources, relying heavily on external scaffolding (such as dictionaries and AI tools) rather than their internal lexicon to overcome difficulties regarding nuance and context. These findings suggest a crucial need for a pedagogical shift from rote memorization to context-based practice, integrating technology to help students master lexical nuances effectively.