| dc.description.abstract | Vocabulary acquisition has been pinpointed as of the most basic
objectives of schooling. In this regard, students learning
English in secondary schools in South Africa face a formidable
task. It has been estimated that by the last year of high school
the typical student has learned 40 000 words, an • average of
around 3 000 words per year. Consequently, it is easy to
understand why the need to answer questions like "How does word
knowledge develop?" and "How can its growth be promoted?" is of
such importance to educators.
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of
three memory strategies for learning ESL vocabulary, namely, the
keyword method, the semantic processing method, and the keyword semantic
method. Four intact ESL classes were divided into three
treatment groups (keyword semantic and keyword-semantic) and one
control group. These students then received four days of
instruction. Both recognition and cued-recall instruments were
used to measure effects both 1 day and 9 days after treatment.
The results of this study indicated the following:
A statistically significant as well as a practically
significant difference between the semantic strategy group
and the keyword strategy group on the cued-recall test
administered 1 day after treatment.
A statistically significant as well as a practically
significant difference between the combined keyword semantic
strategy group and the keyword strategy group on
daily tests as well as on multiple-choice and cued-recall
tests.
The differential effects for the instructional treatments
revealed that the combined keyword-semantic strategy group
differed statistically significantly as well as practically
significantly from the keyword strategy group, both
immediately after treatment and nine days after treatment
on the cued-recall as well as the multiple choice tests.
It would, therefore, seem as if the combined keyword-semantic
strategy promotes more vocabulary acquisition on both the
recognition and cued-recall tests than the keyword strategy and
the no strategy conditions (i.e., control group) . However, these
are not the only strategies to be considered. Other strategies
need to be compared as well, in order to gain an overall picture
of the optimal use of learning strategies for vocabulary
acquisition. Students are not always aware of the power of
consciously using strategies for making learning quicker, easier,
more effective, and even more fun. Teachers need to help their
students develop an awareness of vocabulary learning strategies
and enable them to use a wider range of appropriate strategies. | en_US |
