| Background. Semantic mapping is a process for constructing visual displays of words and their interrelationships. Hypertext is nonsequential writing. With hypertext, computer users are allowed to determine their own individual presentation sequence. In 1980's, the use of semantic mapping to teach vocabulary became widespread in the United States in first-language teaching classrooms, but not in second-language classrooms. This study investigated the effectiveness of semantic mapping techniques in teaching second-language (L2) vocabulary in the interactive hypertext environment.;Procedure. 48 secondary students without prior study of Spanish used Macintosh computers to study three (tightly, moderately and loosely related) groupings of 24 words. Two groups of subjects studied the words in the traditional "Word Listing" (i.e., alphabetical) format. Two groups studied the words under the "Semantic Mapping" format, whereby maps displayed the relationships among the words. Two experimental groups had the words sounded; two did not. One posttest was given immediately; the second, approximately two weeks later. Data analysis, from the repeated measures (3 within x 2 between x 2 between) design, was done through MANCOVA and ONEWAY ANOVAs.;Results/Conclusions. These results indicated a second-order interaction between method and sound. In the soundedconditions, mean scores were greater under the mapping condition than they were for the word listing condition, while in the non-soundedconditions, mean scores for the listing group were significantly greater than those of the mapping group.;The conclusions were: (1) Semantic mapping in the interactive hypertext environment is not itself a better instructional format if subjects do not produce their own maps. Yet, with the sound factor, mapping contributed significantly to greater mean scores. (2) Authors of hypertext programs for teaching L2 vocabulary should design full-featured programs with as many external factors as possible. The sound factor (word pronunciation) should be part of these programs. Interactive programs which rely solely on one external factor (sound or mapping alone) may not produce significantly greater scores than a program with no external factors. An interactive "stripped-down" program (without sound or mapping) can promote significant retention of words because subjects are challenged to rely on their own effective word-learning strategies. |
