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EFFECTS OF LEARNING DIRECTION IN RETRIEVAL PRACTICE ON EFL VOCABULARY LEARNING

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2021

Masato Terai Open the ORCID record for Masato Terai [Opens in a new window] ,
Junko Yamashita  and
Kelly E. Pasich
Masato Terai*
Affiliation:
Nagoya University
Junko Yamashita*
Affiliation:
Nagoya University
Kelly E. Pasich*
Affiliation:
Nagoya University
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Masato Terai, Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464–0814 Japan. E-mail: teraimasato0915@gmail.com
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Abstract

In paired-associate learning, there are two learning directions: L2 to L1 (L2 words as stimuli and L1 words as responses) and L1 to L2 (L1 words as stimuli and L2 words as responses). Results of previous studies that compared the effects of the two learning directions are not consistent. We speculated that the cause of this inconsistency may be L2 proficiency, as the strengths of the lexical links between L2 and L1 are different depending on the learner’s L2 proficiency. This hypothesis was examined with 28 native speakers of Japanese learning English. Participants studied novel English words in the two learning directions. The results of posttests showed that for lower-proficiency learners, L2-to-L1 learning was more effective than L1-to-L2 learning, while for higher-proficiency learners, L1-to-L2 learning was more effective. The findings suggest that L2 proficiency influences the effects of learning direction on vocabulary learning.

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Type
Research Article
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Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 43 , Issue 5 , December 2021 , pp. 1116 - 1137
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© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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