Abstract:

In this study, two study methods for the support of acquisition and retention of 10 vocabulary items were compared; one method used representative picture cards and the other a CALL interface. Seventy-one first-year Japanese university students comprising two classes participated in the study. The students studied a practice set of 10 vocabulary items using both of the two methods and then a treatment set of 10 different items using only one of the methods to which the students were randomly assigned. A t test done on the groups' vocabulary pretest scores showed no significant difference between the two groups in terms of knowledge of the items at the outset of the experiment. The analysis of the posttreatment data showed no significant difference between the groups. Finally, a posttreatment survey revealed a slight preference for the CALL method among the students.

Author: Andrew Oberg