EKSPLORASI PENGALAMAN MAHASISWA PENDIDIKAN BAHASA INGGRIS DALAM MENGUASAI KOSAKATA BAHASA INGGRIS MELALUI PEMBELAJARAN MANDIRI DI UNIVERSITAS TADULAKO

Charin Sane (2026). “Exploring English Education Students' Experiences in Mastering English Vocabulary Through Independent Learning at Tadulako University”. Thesis, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Department of Language and Arts Education, English Education Study Program, Tadulako University. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hj. Sriati Usman, M.Hum. and Maf'ulah, S.Pd., M.Pd. This study aimed to explore the experiences of English Education students at Tadulako University in mastering English vocabulary through independent learning and to identify the challenges they faced during the process. This study employed a descriptive qualitative research design. The data were collected through open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews involving students of the English Education Study Program at Tadulako University. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke (2006). The findings showed that students had various experiences in learning English vocabulary independently. Students used various learning resources, including applications, videos, social media, movies, websites, and reading materials. They also applied various ways to develop and remember vocabulary, such as repeating words, taking notes, making sentences, and learning vocabulary through everyday contexts. In addition, friends, online communities, and social media provided recommendations, motivation, and ideas for learning vocabulary, although students still adapted the suggestions according to their own learning needs and styles. The findings also revealed several challenges faced by students in independent vocabulary learning. These challenges included difficulties in setting learning goals, deciding which vocabulary to focus on, maintaining consistency, staying focused and motivated, monitoring learning progress, and evaluating the effectiveness of learning methods. The use of social media as a learning resource could also cause distractions because students were sometimes exposed to activities unrelated to learning. Overall, the findings indicate that successful independent vocabulary learning depends not only on students’ ability to select learning resources and learning methods, but also on their ability to manage, monitor, and evaluate their own learning process. Keywords: English Vocabulary, Independent Learning, Students’ Experiences, Challenges, English Education Student.