The Effect of Word Retrieval on L2 Vocabulary Learning

Which Are Better Tools, Word Lists or Word Cards?

抄録

The retrieval effect―the phenomenon that the act of recalling previously learned items from memory enhances the final test performance―has been examined in a large number of studies. The present study aims to explore the effect of having opportunities to retrieve target word meanings from memory, and to investigate how the retrieval effect can be applied to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) vocabulary learning. Participants in the no retrieval group (n = 28) were presented with L2 forms and their L1 translation at the same time on PowerPoint slides. On the other hand, those in the retrieval group (n = 35) were presented with each English form initially, then its Japanese translation so that they had an opportunity to retrieve L1 translations for L2 forms. Two minutes after the study trial, both groups took an immediate recall test. The tests required the participants to write down Japanese meanings for the target English forms. Then, the participants took the same test a week after the immediate test. The immediate test revealed that the retrieval group recalled the target words better than the no retrieval group. Moreover, the retrieval group had a better score than the no retrieval group in the delayed test. These results showed that the attempted retrieval of word meanings improved the recall test performances, and indicated that the act of retrieval can facilitate the first step of vocabulary learning.