IMPORTANCE OF VOCABULARY TEACHING TO ADVANCED FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDENTS IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION

Vocabulary is important for understanding difficult reading materials. English vocabulary teaching at higher reading levels should involve direct teaching and context-based approaches. Many studies have stated the need for a systematic and principled approach to vocabulary teaching and learning , as word knowledge is essential to reading comprehension not only at elementary levels of reading but also to reading and comprehending the texts students read at university. This research was conducted with 80 first year students studying English as their major in the University of Vlora and University of Tirana, Albania. The aim of this research is to give an overview of the beliefs the students have about vocabulary learning, its direct teaching, its importance in university studies and of the vocabulary learning strategies used by them. It also highlights some of the effective strategies used by first-year university students. Teaching and applying a wide range of vocabulary learning strategies will help university students be aware of the importance of vocabulary learning and enrich their own vocabulary. Teaching independent word-learning strategies, including the use of context clues, the use of word parts, and efficient use of the dictionary is useful even for advanced English university students. The conclusions reached are that direct teaching of vocabulary in university context is important and leads to better text comprehension.