Memorizing Vocabulary in Multilingual Classrooms: Strategies Adopted by Teachers in Distance Education

Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate the usage and assessment of vocabulary memorization strategies adopted by teachers of Greek as a second/foreign language (L2) in multilingual classrooms. In particular, it investigates which vocabulary memorization strategies are adopted in distance education and whether or not there are differences in the frequency of their usage within face-to-face education, as well as how effective teachers consider them to be. Research results show that the most popular strategies in distance education are the strategies of reading aloud (92%), linking the new word to students’ previous personal experiences (89%), and using synonyms–antonyms (87%), although there is no significant difference among the strategies that teachers adopt in face-to-face and distance education with some minor variations in statistics. Furthermore, it was shown that the frequency of a strategy’s usage is related to how important teachers consider it to be. Regarding the assessment of memorization strategies, it is of particular interest that in most cases the frequency of usage of a strategy is proportionate to the effectiveness attributed to it by teachers. After the teachers’ assessment, the strategies of reading aloud (89%), picture making (87%) and using synonyms–antonyms (86%) are in the top three.