Vocabulary Learning Under English-Only Language Policy: Students' Perception, Challenges, and Strategies in Islamic Boarding School Contexts

Oleh :
Hindi Musyafaah - K2222039 - Fak. KIP

This study explored students' vocabulary learning experiences under an EnglishOnly Policy (EOP) in an Islamic boarding school (pesantren). It examined students' perceptions of vocabulary learning under the EOP, the affective challenges they encountered, and the strategies they employed to cope with those challenges. A qualitative case study design was used. Of 13 students who completed a screening questionnaire, five female students in Grades 8 and 9 were purposively selected as the main participants. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and non-participant observation, then analyzed using Miles et al.'s (2014) interactive model of data condensation, display, and conclusion drawing, guided by Walgito's (2010) Theory of Perception, Krashen's (1985) Affective Filter Hypothesis, and Oxford's (1990) taxonomy of learning strategies. The findings reveal that students' perceptions of the EOP were complex yet traceable through the dimensions of acceptance, comprehension, and evaluation, becoming increasingly positive over time as students experienced successful communication. Anxiety, motivation, and self-confidence all shaped vocabulary learning. Students most frequently relied on social and metacognitive strategies, followed by affective, compensation, memory, and cognitive strategies. The study concludes that vocabulary learning under an English-only policy is shaped as much by social and emotional dynamics as by linguistic factors, offering practical insights for teachers and pesantren administrators in designing more supportive English-only programs.