بهرام باقری

Acquiring vocabulary has always been recognized as a significant and challenging part of language learning process. In this study, the researcher examined the extent to which form recall of target lexical items by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) is affected by a) repetition and b) by the type of target item; single words versus collocations. The treatment consisted of non-communicative, (partly) decontextualized activities, in which the target items were taught and examined. For this purpose, 27 Iranian intermediate EFL learners were chosen and divided into two groups of A with 14 and B with 13 participants. In all activities, the participants had to supply the target items’ forms. Data were collected in a classroom setting in two groups, differing only in the type of target item. In class A, the research focused on single words and in class B the focus was on collocations. A pre and post test was administered to the participants before and after the treatment. The findings show a large effect of spaced repetition on form recall of single words and collocations. However, the participants in class A who were treated with single words outperformed the other group.

Task-based language teaching has received increased attention in second language research. However, the combination of structured input-based approach and task-based language teaching has not been examined in relation to L2 grammar learning. To address this gap, the present study investigated how the structured input-based tasks with and without explicit information impacted learners’ grammar learning. The participants were 60 adult learners of English, assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The two experimental groups were exposed to structured input-based tasks in two types of explicit and implicit information. A pretest-posttest design was employed in order to detect any improvement in participants’ grammar learning. The results revealed that (a) the experimental groups significantly outperformed the control group, (b) participants’ grammar learning significantly improved in both the experimental groups, (c) structured input-based tasks with explicit information was significantly superior to structured input-based tasks without explicit information.

Acquiring vocabulary, as a significant and challenging part of language learning process, has always been consistent with reading. In this study, the researchers examined the effect of enhanced extensive reading on EFL learners’ incidental acquisition of English vocabulary, with specific focus on phrasal verbs. Twenty five homogenized participants were selected and divided into two groups of A (experimental group) and B (control group), with 12 and 13 students in each group respectively (N=25). The experimental group received enhanced extensive reading instruction, while the control group received unenhanced extensive reading instruction. After administering a pre-test and a post-test, collecting data and statistical analysis, the results revealed that the learners who received enhanced extensive reading outperformed the ones who received unenhanced extensive reading instruction.