Abstract
This study intended to inspect the possible effects of vocabulary cluster on Iranian Intermediate EFL learners' vocabulary achievement. It was based on the comparison between semantically and thematically –related sets to find out which type of vocabulary learning cluster was more effective on learners vocabulary learning. Sixty intermediate EFL learners were selected based on their performance on OPT test and then were randomly assigned into three groups each containing 20 subjects (one control and two experimental groups). Quasi-experimental design was used in which Pre-test and post-test were administered to collect data. The researcher employed Nations word level test as the pre-test to examine the participants' initial knowledge of common words. The experimental group (A) worked on thematic clustering, while experimental group (B) received instruction on semantic clustering and the control group received placebo. Next, all participants took part in vocabulary size test to evaluate the vocabulary achievement of the participants. The scores obtained from pre-test and post-test were analyzed through running paired sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The results indicated that the experimental group (B) which received semantically related sets outperformed the control group & the experimental group (A) which received thematically related sets. This may have significant implications for language instructors, syllabus designers, and learners to make more advancement in vocabulary learning process through employing vocabulary cluster.
Highlights
Teaching and learning vocabulary is one of the main features in the process of learning and teaching a second or foreign language
The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of two types of clustering on learning English vocabulary among Iranian EFL learners
This study tried to answer two research questions as which of the above mentioned clustering methods could play a role in vocabulary learning of the participants of Iranian intermediate EFL students who were selected based on their performance on Oxford Placement Test (OPT) test
Summary
Teaching and learning vocabulary is one of the main features in the process of learning and teaching a second or foreign language. According to Al-Jarf , 2007 many instructional plans have been formulated and employed by Second/Foreign language teachers in order to expand general and academic vocabulary of students. Decarrico (2001) believes that strategies should help learners to become aware of the meaning of a new word and consolidate the word in memory after it has been learned. Instructing strategies in an explicit manner has been identified to be the most significant and influential factor in the performance of foreign language learners. According to Tagashiro, Kid & Hoshino (2010), in foreign language classrooms one of the most admired approaches for introducing new vocabulary items is presenting them in thematically or semantically-related sets. As stated by Tinkham (1997), units clustered thematically can be “subconsciously arranged in a manner conforming to their involvement within certain frames or schemata, concepts which splits a speaker's background knowledge" (p.141)
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