Reactivating EFL Learners' Word Knowledge by Means of Two Techniques: Flashcards versus Wordlists

Abstract

This article best described learning vocabulary as an initial step to learn any foreign language. The authors showed an attempt to explore the effectiveness and nature of vocabulary acquisition through two techniques in English called picture flashcards and wordlists. The pedagogy discussed involved as a combination of two techniques concerned showing the efficacy of using these techniques i.e., picture flashcards versus wordlists in EFL classes on students’ English vocabulary learning with a quasi-experimental research design participating thirty six students studying in an English institute in north western of Iran. The subjects were instructed to try to learn new words through two precise vocabulary techniques. Their gains in the knowledge of 60 potentially words were then measured. The authors presented a straightforward procedure to scrutinize the efficacy of teaching vocabulary throughout flashcards and wordlists. The results denoted that, using flashcard as a vocabulary learning tool was much more helpful than wordlist. Meanwhile, the results revealed that picture flashcards looked as if to be very supportive tools than wordlists in presenting forms of new words, since they draw learners’ awareness.