Effects of learner interaction, receptive and productive learning tasks on vocabulary acquisition: An Iranian case

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of three different tasks on the acquisition of new EFL vocabulary items. Sixty six intermediate Iranian adults were divided into three learning groups: receptive (RL), productive (PL), and negotiated interaction (NI) who were taught 36 vocabulary items during four consecutive weeks. Two levels of vocabulary knowledge (receptive and productive) were assessed using two tests (L1 translation and sentence construction, respectively) which were administered immediately after learning and seven days later. The results of the MANOVA showed that the NI significantly outperformed the other two groups in acquiring receptive and productive vocabulary and their vocabulary knowledge was held up over time. It was also found that the PL attained a higher level of vocabulary than the RL. Moreover, the findings showed that all treatment groups gained a higher level of receptive vocabulary than productive. The findings of this study indicate that the students’ interaction and their productive use of vocabulary items are likely to result in the better acquiring of receptive and productive vocabulary.