چکیده:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of flashcard and wordlist strategies with regard to concrete vs. abstract words on vocabulary development of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. The current study had a quasi-experimental design and consisted of two experimental groups and one control group. Ninety Iranian intermediate university students participated in this study. The participants were determined on the basis of Quick Placement Test (QPT). Eighty vocabulary items were selected from the wordlists presented on Paul Nation’s website for the treatment, and they were applied via two different strategies (flashcard/wordlist), and two different kinds of words (concrete/abstract). A pretest, an immediate test and a posttest were administered. To analyze the results, the SPSS software was employed. The experimental groups using flashcards and wordlists were found to outperform the control group. However, no statistically difference was observed between flashcard vs. wordlist strategies. Also, the findings showed that students will probably remember the concrete words for a longer period of time in comparison to abstract words. These findings will probably give insights into language pedagogy by encouraging English teachers to choose the teaching materials which can facilitate the process of teaching and learning.
خلاصه ماشینی:
Abstract Words on Iranian EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Development 1Farahman Farrokhi 2Mohammad Zohrabi*IJEAP- 2101-1682 3Aysan BolandnazarReceived: 2021-01-21 Accepted: 2021-03-31 Published: 2021-04-06 Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of flashcard and wordlist strategies with regard to concrete vs.
Eighty vocabulary items were selected from the wordlists presented on Paul Nation’s website for the treatment, and they were applied via two different strategies (flashcard/wordlist), and two different kinds of words (concrete/abstract).
Thus, the principal focus of the current study is to examine two types of strategies (flashcard/wordlist), and two types of words (concrete/abstract) and their effects on the vocabulary development of Iranian EFL learners.
While Richmond and Ninch (1977), in one investigation stated that no significant difference exists between the retention of abstract and concrete words, the majority of the studies conducted on this issue proved that the concrete words are retained easier and faster than abstract ones in language learning for a longer period of time.
Hsiao-Yun and Yihsiang (2012) examined the effects of wordlist versus word card strategy, and massed versus spaced practice strategy on English vocabulary retention of EFL high school students in Taiwan and then investigated their opinions toward each of these strategies.
The second null hypothesis was rejected since statistically significant difference was also observed among the abstract, concrete, and control groups in terms of their effects on the retention of Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary development at an intermediate level.
The findings of the present study rejected the second null hypothesis and indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between the effects of concrete and abstract words on the retention of Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ vocabulary development.