ENHANCING THE STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY THROUGH MORPHOLOGICAL AWARENESS

Abstract

The current paper details a research study exploring the impact of morphological awareness on the vocabulary development of third-year English language students at School of Foreign Languages - Thai Nguyen University in Vietnam. The study investigates the students' initial level of morphological awareness and examines if there is a relationship between this awareness and their vocabulary growth. A pre-experimental design was used with the instrument namely Morphological Awareness Test, which consists of two main components: the Morpheme Identification Test and the Morphological Structure Test. These two components both include pre- and post-tests, which are to measure the ability to identify and build words using morphemes. The research found that morphology instructions could significantly enhance the students' understanding of words’ structure and meaning, and develop the vocabulary as well. The findings indicate a positive impact of morphological awareness on vocabulary development. This also proves that explicit instruction on morphology can be a valuable vocabulary learning strategy for the participants of the study.