| This three-article dissertation analyzes the question of how to best address the lack of foreign language vocabulary retention by public high school students. The first article analyzed previous studies that address second language acquisition, teaching methods, and retention of foreign language vocabulary words. Article 2 presents a qualitative case study exploring foreign language teachers' perceptions of student vocabulary retention, effective teaching methods, and using a multiple modality approach to improve vocabulary retention. The third article provides a handbook to help high school foreign language teachers teach vocabulary in a manner which will maximize long-term retention by students. The literature review findings show that second language (L2) learners forget vocabulary words rapidly. However, the amount of information forgotten depends on the initial method of instruction. Moreover, the frequency and spacing of review sessions affect the level of retention. The case study results show that high school foreign language teachers feel that a multiple modality approach, spaced repetition, and project-based practice are the most effective methods for vocabulary retention. The teacher handbook guides foreign language teachers in the practical implementation of these 3 methods of instruction and review. |
