Impact of mind-mapping technique on EFL learners' vocabulary recall and retention, learning motivation, and willingness to communicate

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the effects of using the mind-mapping technique on Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' vocabulary recall and retention, learning motivation, and willingness to communicate (WTC). To accomplish this, 98 EFL learners were chosen and homogenized through the Oxford Quick Placement test (OQPT) and divided into a control group (CG) (n = 30) and an experimental group (EG) (n = 30). After that, the chosen students were pretested on vocabulary, learning motivation, and WTC. Subsequently, two different instructions were given to the two groups; the mind-mapping instruction was used in the EG and a conventional instruction was used in the CG. Then, a 23-session treatment, a vocabulary post-test (both immediate and delayed) and two questionnaires measuring learning motivation and WTC were given to both groups to assess the effectiveness of the instruction on their vocabulary knowledge, learning motivation, and WTC. The results of the statistical analyses showed that the EG outperformed the CG in terms of gains in vocabulary recall and retention, learning motivation, and WTC. At the end of the study, the implications of the results were discussed.