The Effectiveness of mnemonic audio-visual aids in teaching content words to EFL students at a Turkish university

Abstract

ABSTRACT Title: The Effectiveness of Mnemonic Audio-Visual Aids in Teaching Content Words to EFL Students at a Turkish University. Author: A. Reha Kiline Thesis Chairperson: Dr. Susan D. Bosher, Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program Thesis Committee Members: Dr. Theodore S. Rodgers, Ms. Bena Gul Peker, MA TEFL Program This experimental study aimed at investigating the effects of mnemonic audio-visual aids on recognition and recall of vocabulary items in comparison to a dictionary using control group. The study was conducted at Middle East Technical University Department of Basic English. The participants were 64 beginner and upper-intermediate level students in four intact classes. Research questions focused on the differences, if any, between the groups of. each level in terms of recognition and recall of vocabulary items, as well as the differences, if any with respect to retention of the learned vocabulary after treatment. To answer the research questions, four intact classes were chosen from the Middle East Technical University. One group of each level was instructed in the mnemonic audio visual method. The other groups were asked to learn the vocabulary items by using dictionaries as the control groups. Each group was allowed ten minutes to learn the same 20 target vocabulary items.Before the treatment, each group was given a pretest, and the same test with items in different places was given as a posttest immediately after treatment to test immediate recognition and recall- To measure long-term retention, that is, delayed recognition and recall, the same test was given to all groups after two weeks. These groups, as well, included separate recognition and recall sections. Pretest and posttest scores of recognition and recall were compared to measure acquisition of vocabulary items. Later, the posttest and retention test scores were compared to measure long-term retention. For the analysis means and standard deviations were calculated and t-tests were conducted separately for all comparisons. Results did show statistically significantly differences between the groups for the tests of immediate and delayed recognition and recall of vocabulary items in favor, in all cases of the experimental treatment groups. The experimental treatment worked equally well for beginner and upper-intermediate groups and for the learning of concrete and abstract words. Findings suggest that the mnemonic audio-visual technique is highly superior to traditional dictionary look up technique for both recognition, and recall at both immediate and delayed testing in various university classroom conditions.