Abstract
The qualitative action research that is currently undertaken in the classroom is the exploration ofthe experience of ESL students in the contextual reading activities to acquire vocabulary. Theresearch was carried out in a Pakistani secondary school and English classroom in which theresearcher conducted the study where he engaged 25 students to be part of a four-week interventionthat entailed the implementation of contextual clues strategies in reading comprehensionassignments. The data collection tools were semi structured interview, reflective journal, classroomobservations, and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis revealed that there are four broadthemes that include: enhanced word awareness and inferencing abilities, enhanced confidence inreading independently, collaborative meaning-making as a learning scaffold, and continuedinability to read between the lines in complex context. The findings have revealed that contextualreading exercise positively influences vocabulary acquisition experiences of students byfacilitating text-based interaction and motivating them to apply strategies. However, theeffectiveness of these activities depends on the suitability of the text, abilities of the learners, anddidactical support. The study contributes to the study of vocabulary in the experiential dimensionusing context and pedagogical implication to the ESL teachers.