The Impact of Retrieval Task on Learning Vocabulary of Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of retrieval activity on learning vocabulary. To fulfill the purpose of this study, 40 female and male students of Parto Institute in Sardasht were selected from among a total number of 60 based on their performance on the Preliminary English Test (PET) and randomly put into two experimental and control groups. The same content was taught by the teacher/researcher to both groups throughout the treatment. The only difference was that the experimental group was taught the vocabulary through retrieval activities, which consisted of the four-step including Learning Phase, Retrieval Activity Phase, Retrieval Interval Test Phase and Post Test Phase while the students in the control group were taught the vocabularies without any retrieval processes. Finally, a posttest within the content taught was given to the students in both groups at the end of the instruction and the mean scores of both groups on the test were compared through an independent samples t-test. The result showed that retrieval activity had a significant effect on the vocabularies learning of Iranian EFL learners.