English abstract
This study aimed at investigating the vocabulary learning strategies at the tertiary level and particularly at A'Sharqiyah University in Oman. It tried to cater to both students and teachers as the main stakeholders of the educational process through a mixed-method research approach. On the one hand, it investigated the students' use through a questionnaire that had been originally adapted from Schmitt (1997). On the other hand, it explored teachers' perceptions of vocabulary learning strategies and their students' use through semi-structured interviews. All the quantitative data were analyzed through the SPSS program, whereas the qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings of the study show that the EFL learners in the foundation program at A'Sharqiyah University were moderate users of vocabulary learning strategies and their most-used category was determination strategies and their least used category was memory strategies. Their most used strategies, in particular, were the use of the bilingual dictionary, the use of written and verbal repetition and asking their peers for the meaning, whereas their least used strategies were using scales for adjectives, and using flashcards to memorize words. The main findings from the qualitative data indicated that the EFL teachers in the foundation program have mediocre knowledge of VLS and they tend to focus on reinforcing determination strategies and training their learners on the basic strategies such as the use of the dictionaries and the verbal repetition.
