STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF INTENSIVE READING TO DEVELOP THE STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY ACQUISITION ON DESCRIPTIVE TEXT

Abstract

This study explores the experiences of students regarding the use of intensive reading as one of the strategies of acquiring vocabulary knowledge. Intensive reading is recognized as a process that focuses on close and detailed understanding of texts, particularly vocabulary improvement. This research employed a quantitative descriptive approach. The participants were 28 seventh grade students from a senior high school. The data were collected through a questionnaire about the students’ perspective of intensive reading that used four likert scale formats. The questionnaires were distributed into three aspects which are affective, behavioral, and cognitive to measure certain points from each student's perspective. The data were then analyzed descriptively to determine the overall level of students’ responses. The findings demonstrated that the majority of students hold positive perceptions toward intensive reading. Most students agreed that intensive reading activities help them increase their vocabulary mastery, motivate them to read more and assist them in understanding new words more effectively. In conclusion, the results confirm that intensive reading makes a significant contribution to vocabulary development. Therefore, it is suggested that teachers incorporate intensive reading more frequently into classroom practice to maximize students’ vocabulary acquisition.