The Effect of Vocabulary Instruction through Semantic Mapping among EFL Learners with Different Perceptual Learning Styles

Journal of English Language Studies

مقاله 1، دوره 1، شماره 2، اردیبهشت 2010، صفحه 1-22   

نویسندگان

Esmaeel Abdollahzadeh¹؛ Nasser AmiriVardani²

¹Assistant Professor, Iran University of Science and Technology

²Instructor, University of Applied Sciences and Technology

چکیده

Traditional and modern vocabulary instruction techniques have been introduced in the past few decades to improve the learners’ performance in reading comprehension. Semantic mapping, which entails drawing learners’ attention to the interrelationships among lexical items through graphic organizers, is claimed to enhance vocabulary learning significantly. However, whether this technique suits all types of learners has not been adequately investigated. This study examines the effectiveness of employing semantic mapping in vocabulary instruction to EFL learners with different perceptual modalities. A modified version of Reid’s (1987) perceptual learning style questionnaire was used to determine the learners’ modality types. The results indicate that semantic mapping in comparison with commonplace approaches significantly enhanced EFL learners’ vocabulary achievement. Although visual learners slightly outperformed other types of learners on the posttest, no significant differences were observed among intermediate learners with different perceptual modalities employing semantic mapping for vocabulary practic

کلیدواژه‌ها

vocabulary instruction؛ Semantic Mapping؛ Perceptual Modality؛ learning styles