Involvement Load Hypothesis and the Retention of Word Meaning Among Saudi EFL Learners

Abstract

The Involvement Load Hypothesis (Laufer and Hulstijn) claims that in incidental learning situations, the retention of forms (words) and meaning depend on the manipulation of the cognitive and motivational variables within tasks. This study attempted to investigate the effect of task-based learning of the Involvement Load Hypothesis on Saudi university students’ retention of meaning. The study examined two tasks developed based on the hypothesis and their effect on Saudi university students’ retention of meaning. The participants in the study were female university students enrolled at Princess Nourah University in Riyadh, who were learners of English as a foreign language and spoke Arabic as their first language. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: experimental group and control group. The experimental group received the writing composition task, while the control group received only the glossary of terms to read. The participants were pre-tested before the implementation of the task and post-tested one week later. This test examined whether the Involvement Load Hypothesis had affected the learners’ retention of meaning or not. The pretest scores of the two groups were compared to examine whether they are compatible. An independent sample t-test was used to calculate equivalency between them. Also, the data was analysed quantitatively by using a paired sample t-test and an independent t-test to support the qualitative analysis.