Dissertation
The Effect of Memory Strategy Training on Vocabulary Learning by EFL Female Students of the College of Languages and Translation: An Experimental Study
(2018)
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of memory strategies (MSs)
in improving students' ability to recall and spell newly learned vocabulary items. The researcher
only considered three types of MSs: grouping, placing new words in to a context and structured
reviewing. In addition, the study used a questionnaire that explored students' attitudes towards
MSs in general, and towards the specific MSs that they have been trained to use, as well as the
relationship between MSs and motivation and between MSs and anxiety. Â intact groups (63 students in total) were selected from level three of the College of Languages and Translation (COLT) at King Saud University (KSU), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two groups were assigned to the experimental group (36 students) and the control group(27students). The control group received traditional instruction that depended on the textbook without any MS training, whereas the experimental group received a combination of traditional instruction and MS training. A pre- and post-test were administered to both groups before and after the experiment to examine students' ability to recall the meaning of vocabulary items and their ability to spell them correctly. The experiment lasted for fourteen weeks through which the participants received seven MS training sessions. The study found out that MS training was effective in improving students' ability to recall the meaning of vocabulary items when needed and their ability to spell them correctly. Moreover, the results showed that the subjects of the experimental group showed positive attitude towards MSs and most of them agreed on the positive effect that MSs had on raising their motivation and reducing their anxiety while learning vocabulary.
Keywords
- anxiety,
- effectiveness,
- memory strategies,
- translation,
- vocabulary
Disciplines
Publication Date
Summer June 15, 2018
Degree
Master of Arts
Field of study
Applied Linguistics
Department
Department of English at the College of Arts, King Saud University
Advisors
Professor Ibrahim S. Al-Fallay
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/th.205
Citation Information
Ghadah Fahad Alzaidi. "The Effect of Memory Strategy Training on Vocabulary Learning by EFL Female Students of the College of Languages and Translation: An Experimental Study" (2018) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/arabworldenglishjournal-awej/505/