Exploring Vocabulary Learning Strategies of First Year Non-English Majors at University in Vietnam

Many non-English major students often find it difficult to learn new words, especially first-year students. However, they are required to learn a large amount of vocabulary each day to understand their higher education lessons. Additionally, even if they manage to remember new words, they often struggle to use them effectively in communication. This paper addresses the question: What difficulties do first-year non-English major students at Thu Dau Mot University encounter in learning vocabulary? The hypothesis is that these challenges primarily stem from a lack of effective language learning strategies. To explore this, we conducted ten individual interviews with students to support a discussion regarding the hypothesis. This paper includes a discussion and analysis of the survey results, designed to gather insights into vocabulary learning strategies among first-year non-English majors at Thu Dau Mot University in Binh Duong. The study's final results confirm the hypothesis. At the conclusion, we propose solutions to help students overcome these challenges, improve their vocabulary acquisition, and benefit from more effective learning strategies.