EXPLORING ESL STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF VOCABULARYLEARNING THROUGH CONTEXTUAL READING ACTIVITIES: AQUALITATIVE CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH

Abstract

The qualitative action research that is currently undertaken in the classroom is the exploration of
the experience of ESL students in the contextual reading activities to acquire vocabulary. The
research was carried out in a Pakistani secondary school and English classroom in which the
researcher conducted the study where he engaged 25 students to be part of a four-week intervention
that entailed the implementation of contextual clues strategies in reading comprehension
assignments. The data collection tools were semi structured interview, reflective journal, classroom
observations, and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis revealed that there are four broad
themes that include: enhanced word awareness and inferencing abilities, enhanced confidence in
reading independently, collaborative meaning-making as a learning scaffold, and continued
inability to read between the lines in complex context. The findings have revealed that contextual
reading exercise positively influences vocabulary acquisition experiences of students by
facilitating text-based interaction and motivating them to apply strategies. However, the
effectiveness of these activities depends on the suitability of the text, abilities of the learners, and
didactical support. The study contributes to the study of vocabulary in the experiential dimension
using context and pedagogical implication to the ESL teachers.