STRATEGY-BASED INSTRUCTION FOR VOCABULARY LEARNING IN CHINA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

This systematic review focuses on empirical research studies about Vocabulary Learning Strategies-Based Instruction (VLSsBI) conducted in China in the period between 2013 and 2022. Instructional practices show an overwhelming use of metacognitive strategies, but empirical rigor claims only three studies. Most of the studies focus on tertiary level learners and lack methodological divergence as well as cognitive and social-affective approach inclusion. The review analyses a variety of subjects which are restricted in terms of research design, population diversity, and scope of teaching methods. The gaps indicate a lack of holistic explanatory models that could drive the theory, as well as the learners’ developmental stages, strategies, and needs. Aimed at guiding researchers, instructors, and policymakers, the conclusions focus on how to enhance the vocabulary teaching framework within the Chinese EFL context. This review describes the instructional paradigms of VLSsBI and offers insight into the direction needed for more comprehensive study.