Do You Have A Favorite Movie? A Strategy Of English Education Students To Improve English Vocabulary Using “Plankton: The Movie”

Abstract

This study aims to determine the strategies used by English language education students to improve their English vocabulary through the use of their favorite films, particularly Plankton: The Movie. This study was motivated by the need for contextual vocabulary learning strategies that are not limited to formal classroom learning. The method used was qualitative descriptive with data collection using open interviews with ten early semester English education students at IPB University Cirebon. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis based on language learning strategy categories, including cognitive, metacognitive, and social-affective strategies, as well as the role of audiovisual elements. The results showed that cognitive strategies were the most dominant strategies used by students, especially through activities such as guessing the meaning of vocabulary based on visual context and movie stories, noting new vocabulary, and pausing the movie to understand the meaning of certain words. Metacognitive strategies play a supporting role through activities such as planning, repetition, and applying vocabulary in other contexts, while social-affective strategies are used through discussions with friends to broaden understanding and increase learning motivation.  In addition, audiovisual elements in films have been proven to help students understand vocabulary, especially nouns, through concrete and meaningful visual representations. It can be concluded that students' favorite films can be used as an effective supporting medium in English vocabulary learning. However, films should not be used as the sole learning medium, but rather combined with other sources and methods according to students' learning needs and preferences.