Individuality in Higher Education: The Use of the Multiple-Mnemonic Method to Enhance ESP Students' Vocabulary Development (Depth and Size) and Retention

Abstract

Vocabulary learning is considered to be the most comprehensive and the most difficult part of language learning for all the students especially for ESP students. These students complain that vocabulary items are too many and are easily forgotten after they are learned. Mnemonic devices, a group of mental strategies, are developed to facilitate vocabulary learning and retention for such students. These students, however, have varied needs and interests and if vocabulary teaching and learning are planned to be effective and enjoyable, various methods and strategies must be employed. To this end, the multiple-mnemonic method was developed and studied. Two intact groups of ESP students participated in this study. In the experimental group the multiple-mnemonic method was used while in the control group the vocabulary items were just taught and reviewed. The results of the study showed that the multiplemnemonic method group significantly performed better than the control group in terms of vocabulary development and retention. EVKS was also further evaluated and used in this study as a measure of vocabulary size and vocabulary depth.