Abstract
This article aims to provide some guidelines for teachers on how to conduct vocabulary instruction in their class because one of the main issues faced by Indonesian students recently is the lack of vocabulary knowledge that affects their English proficiency. Some studies showed that Indonesian students did not even know most of essential words in English, known as high frequency words. As a result, they may struggle to use the language in communication. Therefore, English teachers need to focus on helping students develop their vocabulary knowledge by teaching new words based on students’ need and introducing some vocabulary learning strategies that they can use to learn unknown words on their own at home. In order to provide a guideline for vocabulary instruction, this paper reviewed studies related to vocabulary knowledge, English proficiency, and vocabulary instruction in Indonesian context. The result of this study provides a guideline that could help teachers improve their students’ vocabulary knowledge in teaching unknown words and vocabulary learning strategies. This paper also suggests English teachers to conduct their own research to determine which strategies work best for their students, so students can apply that strategies to learn unknown words autonomously.
Highlights
The vocabulary knowledge of Indonesian students has become the concern of researchers in Indonesia recently
All the papers and books were classified based on their topics such as vocabulary instruction, vocabulary knowledge specified into size and depth, English proficiency index in Indonesia, vocabulary learning strategies, and so on
The lack of vocabulary knowledge has become the main problem of Indonesian students in learning English
Summary
The vocabulary knowledge of Indonesian students has become the concern of researchers in Indonesia recently. Some research shows that Indonesian students are lack of vocabulary knowledge, both breadth and depth. The lack of vocabulary knowledge reflects the English proficiency since vocabulary is an effective tool to predict the language proficiency (Lee, 2011). The more words that the students know, the more likely they will be able to perform the language effectively. If students have a very limited number of vocabulary, they may find it difficult to use the language effectively. If they possess sufficient vocabulary, they could express their thoughts during communication
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