Effective vocabulary acquisition is essential for students to engage with technical materials and succeed in professional environments in vocational education. This study investigates the correlation between student-centered learning strategies and students’ understanding of English vocabulary in electrical engineering classes at SMKN 6 Bandung. Using a quantitative correlational method, data were collected from 36 tenth-grade electrical engineering students through a structured questionnaire and a vocabulary comprehension test. The instruments were validated, and reliability was confirmed with a Cronbach’s Alpha value of 0.729. To analyse the data, descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation were applied. The results revealed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.852, p < 0.001) between the implementation of student-centered strategies and students’ performance on the vocabulary test. Moreover, 69.5% of students scored at or above the 70th percentile, with 36.1% achieving perfect scores. These findings are consistent with Gagné’s instructional model, indicating that a structured and student-centered learning approach enhances cognitive processing and promotes better vocabulary retention. The study concludes that incorporating student-centered strategies in technical English instruction significantly improves student outcomes and recommends further research across diverse vocational disciplines to confirm the generalizability of these results.
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