INVESTIGATING METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES IN VOCABULARY ACQUISITION BY EIGHT GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP N 12 SEMARANG

Abstract

Gaining vocabulary proficiency is a fundamental aspect of language acquisition and presents a challenge for language learners. However, there are various strategies available to facilitate the learning of new words. Therefore, understanding how students apply these vocabulary learning strategies becomes crucial. The primary aim of this research was to outline the vocabulary learning strategies employed by students when acquiring new vocabulary. A quantitative approach was adopted for this study, utilizing a survey as the data collection method. The research was conducted among 40 grade-eight students at SMP N 12 Semarang. A questionnaire comprising 41 items, developed based on Schmitt's (1997) theoretical framework, was employed for data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire data, which were categorized into five distinct groups: determination strategies, cognitive strategies, social strategies, memory strategies, and metacognitive strategies. The findings indicated that participants most frequently utilized metacognitive strategies in their vocabulary learning process, while determination strategies were reported as the least frequently used.