Vocabulary Presentation Fashion and the Learners’ Vocabulary Retention and Recall: A Reflection on Material Evaluation

سال انتشار: 1392
نوع سند: مقاله کنفرانسی
زبان: انگلیسی
مشاهده: 922

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شناسه ملی سند علمی:

TELT01_314

تاریخ نمایه سازی: 28 آذر 1392

چکیده مقاله:

Undoubtedly, vocabulary knowledge is an essential element in learning a second language. The recognition of the importance of vocabulary gave rise to a surge of studies, including the ways of learning vocabulary, vocabulary learning strategies, vocabulary teaching issues, vocabulary retention, vocabulary retrieving, and mental representation of vocabulary knowledge. Among those issues that may have gone uninvestigated so far and deserve more attention is the vocabulary presentation fashion that might facilitate retention and recall. The increasing number of different English tests assessing the candidate’s knowledge of vocabulary, in particular, has made material writers thrive on finding more learner-friendly techniques to present vocabulary. Formerly, decontextualized word lists, for instance, have been used extensively to teach vocabulary. Presenting vocabulary in list form is an efficient method through which students can learn large number of words in a short time. However, the question is whether the learners’ vocabulary retention and recall are influenced by different fashions of vocabulary presentation. On the other hand, the effect of the presentation fashion on the learners’ interest and motivation is the second subsidiary question. To this end, a total of 102 EFL learners volunteered to take part in the present study after being informed by notices and flyers at the university where the study was conducted. Seventy six volunteers met the required qualifications. Second, two questionnaires were constructed to inquire about the teachers and learners’ opinions in reference to the selection of vocabulary materials and their preferences for different types and fashions of vocabulary presentation. The data gathered from these questionnaires confirmed the intuitive speculations of the researchers. Next, the researchers administered a piloted, simulated ECPE proficiency test. Seventeen participants were excluded from the study either due to their poor performance in the proficiency test (considered as outliers) or their knowledge of the intended vocabulary of the study which were included in the proficiency test. The results of the proficiency test were then used to divide the final sixty qualified learners into three similar matched groups. The participants in each group were next asked to self-study the 800 words of the GRE (2007) in three different fashions in a two-month period. To examine the participants’ retention in the three groups, a post-test containing 75 multiple-choice vocabulary items was given to the participants. The results of the post-tests were then tabulated and were subjected to statistical analyses. They revealed that the learners in the two comparison groups had greater vocabulary retention than those in the control group. More importantly, it is interesting to note that the learners receiving vocabulary in a randomly-selected fashion even outperformed those that were presented with dictionary-style vocabulary presentation fashion. It shows that a subtle change in the presentation fashion of the vocabulary can bring about different outcomes that pave the way for more reflective approach to material development and/or modification. Consciously or not, material developers sometimes overlook points that look superficial and unimportant. However, such issues are important for learners. We believe there must be ears quite open to hear the learners’ voice and ways for them to make their voices heard. It seems that in the triangle of learners, materials, and material developers, the learners’ side has ever since been defective, making the triangle look amorphous. Apart from general evaluation of materials, it is necessary to evaluate them critically based on procedures at different phases and with different orientations and considerations, just like the distinction put forward in the evaluation model in Section 4 to result in more effective materials and learning outcomes.

نویسندگان

Namdar Namdari

Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran

Fateme Akbarzade Haromi

Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran