Effects of Two Vocabulary Instructional Methods: Contrasting and Separating Orthographically Similar Words

Abstract

While Chinese EFL learners memorize vocabulary items, they may encounter some words that are similar in semantics, orthography, phonology, and so forth. Studies have conducted research on whether the similarity of vocabulary would facilitate or hinder students learning outcomes. While most scholars found that learners can perform better when they memorize similar lexis than learning unrelated sets, i.e., dissimilar words. This research compares two ways of giving students instructions about orthographically similar English vocabulary. A total of 52 university junior students participated in this study. Pre-test, immediate, and delayed post-test were conducted for examining students learning outcomes. Results demonstrated that instructions with a highlight on contrasting the nuances of orthographically similar words impede students retention performance compared with those in the control group who were instructed without emphasizing the similarity and nuances of the words. Although the result may not generalize to all EFL contexts, it provides significant pedagogical implications to teachers and other educational practitioners. It is suggested that emphasizing the nuances of orthographically similar words is less effective for students vocabulary learning than without the emphasis. Students should be encouraged to explore and find out the similarity and nuances of orthographically similar words by themselves rather than being told by teachers.