Although taxonomies of a broad range of vocabulary learning strategies do exist, they
tend to be incomplete in terms of strategies or factors arguably important for
vocabulary learning. Compared to other classification schemes, Schmitt’s (1997)
taxonomy seems to be the most exhaustive and has the advantage of being organized
around an established scheme of language learning strategies. In this study, attempt
has been made to examine the extent to which her taxonomy keeps its relevance in
ESP contexts. To do so, a qualitative study was designed and carried out in which 137
participants were selected randomly from among undergraduate medical and
paramedical students who had enrolled in ESP I in Isfahan University of Medical
Sciences. Data on vocabulary learning strategies in an ESP context were elicited by
observation, interview and questionnaire. The findings of our study led to the
modification of Schmitt’s taxonomy and making it more comprehensive. The purpose
behind challenging taxonomies of vocabulary learning strategy was to gain more
insights about vocabulary learning process and point out to effective ways for
teaching and learning vocabulary