Abstract
Teaching vocabulary in semantically related sets use as a common practice by EFL teachers. The present study tests the effectiveness of this techniques by comparing it with semantically unrelated clusters as the other technique on Iranian intermediate EFL learners. In the study three intact classes of participants studying at Isfahan were presented with a set of unrelated words through “ 504 Absolutely Essential words”, a set of related words through “The Oxford Picture Dictionary “, and the control group were presented some new words through six texts from “Reading Through Interaction”. Comparing of the results indicated that, while both techniques help the learners to acquire new sets of the words, presenting words in semantically unrelated sets seems to be more effective.
Highlights
The undeniable importance of vocabulary and vocabulary teaching in second language acquisition (SLA) has been proved
Previous studies have reported a lot of semantic confusion errors in adults' vocabulary retention and recall, when the words had been presented in semantic clusters
The empirical evidence gained from this study supports some of the following pedagogical implications: The positive effects of semantically unrelated clusters of words on the maximization of vocabulary acquisition of learners inspire teachers in conducting the vocabulary teaching part in language classes
Summary
The undeniable importance of vocabulary and vocabulary teaching in second language acquisition (SLA) has been proved. It is necessary to find a proper and effective ways of teaching it Investigating such ways is necessary to enhance second language vocabulary acquisition. Two prevalent methods of presenting new words to learners are semantically related sets and semantically unrelated ones. The usefulness of presenting vocabularies in semantic clusters has not yet been empirically proved and the effects of semantically unrelated sets are still under investigation. This study will compare the presentation of L2 vocabularies in the following ways: semantically related way and semantically unrelated one, and it compares the effectiveness of the so-called ways on vocabulary acquisition of young adult learners. It aims to help curriculum designers of this level to choose the most effective way of presenting new words to learners which mostly help them retain words longer in their mental lexicon
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