TEACHING VOCABULARY STRATEGICALLY: METHODICAL APPROACHES FOR LONG-TERM RETENTION

Vocabulary acquisition plays a central role in English language learning, directly influencing learners’ reading comprehension, writing fluency, listening accuracy, and speaking confidence. However, despite its foundational importance, vocabulary instruction is often approached in a fragmented or incidental manner, leading to shallow retention and limited usage. This article explores strategic, methodically-grounded approaches to teaching English vocabulary that foster long-term retention and active use in communicative contexts. Drawing on cognitive psychology, applied linguistics, and second language acquisition research, the study presents a framework that integrates spaced repetition, semantic mapping, collocation learning, and contextualized practice. Each strategy is discussed in terms of its theoretical rationale, practical implementation, and empirical support. Special attention is given to the depth of processing hypothesis, which emphasizes the importance of meaningful engagement with new vocabulary for durable learning. The article also examines the role of retrieval practice and lexical chunks in reinforcing word knowledge beyond rote memorization.