Business Chinese vocabulary learning strategies among international undergraduates: usage patterns, group differences, and strategic interrelationships

Abstract As Business Chinese gains prominence in international language education, understanding how learners acquire its specialized vocabulary becomes increasingly important. This study investigates the vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) employed by 105 international undergraduate students enrolled in Business Chinese courses at four universities in Shanghai. Drawing on Schmitt’s (1997) VLS taxonomy, the research aimed to identify the most and least frequently used strategies, examine differences in strategy use based on learner background variables, and analyse interrelationships among strategy categories. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics at both category and item levels, t -tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlations. The findings reveal a moderate overall frequency of VLS use (M = 3.08), with metacognitive, determination, and memory strategies being the most commonly used. At the item level, sustained vocabulary study and contextual guessing were among the most frequently used strategies, whereas flashcards and asking teachers to check self-made vocabulary lists were among the least used. Significant differences in strategy use were observed across academic majors, universities, and years of study, with students in Chinese-related majors and upper-year levels demonstrating more diverse and frequent strategy use. Only one gender-related difference emerged, with female students reporting higher use of determination strategies. However, no significant differences were found for age, ethnic background, or duration of learning. Significant positive correlations were identified among all five strategy categories, ranging from moderate to very strong ( r = 0.529–0.806), suggesting that Business Chinese learners tend to use vocabulary learning strategies in an interrelated and coordinated manner. These findings highlight the need for more targeted strategy instruction in Business Chinese, particularly for students in non-Chinese-related majors and lower-year learners, as well as more systematic support for underused strategies, such as those related to collaboration and vocabulary review.