The Role of Learner-training in Acquiring Vocabulary Via Context by Iraqi Kurdish EFL University Students

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the extent to which training learners in vocabulary learning from context has positive impact on the process of vocabulary acquisition at university level. The study follows a quantitative approach using instructor questionnaire and statistical analysis is conducted through SPSS program. Forty-five instructors from both public and private Sulaimani Province Universities were involved. The main study findings showed that training learners on inside class techniques such as following the steps of inferring meaning from context, using grammatical clues to enhance vocabulary guess and checking the correctness of the guess by using dictionary also training learners on outside class techniques like watching movies, listening to songs, social media interaction and gaming can significantly improve learner’s vocabulary size. The findings also show that among the fore mentioned strategies, training learners to follow the steps of inferring meaning from context and directing learners to infer meaning from context through watching movies are superior to other strategies. Adopting the mentioned ways in this study may positively improve learners’ vocabulary and comprehension, and also speeds up the vocabulary learning process. The findings of this study may also encourage the EFL instructors to follow the techniques depending on their learners’ level of understanding and interest.