Integrating Morphological and Etymological Analysis in Microbiology Teaching: A Pedagogical Approach to Vocabulary Acquisition

Abstract Microbiology students often struggle with the extensive and specialised terminology of the discipline, frequently relying on rote memorisation rather than understanding word structure, which limits long-term retention. This study investigated the integration of morphological and etymological analysis into microbiology courses as a tool to support vocabulary learning. Surveys conducted at the end of the semester over three academic years revealed that students generally accepted the approach, reported an improved ability to memorise and understand terms, and indicated that they would use it in the future to decode unfamiliar scientific words. These results suggest that morpheme-based instruction represents a practical and promising strategy for enhancing comprehension and the retention of microbiological terminology.