| Research has consistently indicated that the use of mnemonic devices substantially enhances higher levels of retention in immediate recall of second language vocabulary words in comparison with other learning strategies. Keyword method is one of three types of mnemonic strategies( Brown and Perry, 1991). According to Ellis, the core of a keyword method is to create a form and semantic connection between the target word and its translation. In his dual-coding theory, Paivio acclaims that human memory is better if we encode it both visually and verbally ( Paivio, 1991a, p.5) . The distinctive feature of the keyword method is to create visual links between the target word and the keyword. The psychology of learning has revealed that a word is better retained the more cognitive activity is provided during learning (Schouten-Van Parreren, 1981, 227-245; Ott et al., 1976, 37-48). According to" depth or levels of processing theory" (Craik & Lockhart, 1972), "'the more [deeply] words are analyzed and are enriched by associations or images, the longer they will stay in the memory. The artificial associations are made by way of the keyword method between the target word and learners' acquired vocabulary and hence consolidate the memory.As the literature review shows, the previous research on keyword method primarily involved the use of English (learner's native language) keywords to learn the vocabulary of other languages. In addition, the keywords are usually experimenter-provided and the research is mostly conducted on short-term basis (no longer than one week). Hence, the present study attempts to conduct an experiment in which Chinese students employed English keywords to learn new English words considering the tremendous dissimilarity between their LI and English phonologically and morphologically, in which the delayed test is administered four weeks after learning the new words instead of one week, in order to test the effect of keyword method compared with rote memory method and the interaction effect of approach and time.The present study adopted Between-subjects Design in which randomly selected 172 students were assigned to five groups: Experimenter-supplied keyword method instant recall; Conventional rote memory method instant recall; Experimenter-supplied keyword method delayed recall; Conventional rote memory delayed recall; Self-generated keyword method delayed recall.A 10 English-Chinese paired blank filling test was administered immediately and four weeks after the subjects learn the same 10 new words. Finally, the results of the test were analyzed through 2x3 ANOVA statistical method with different versions of learning materials and different time recall as independent variables.From the ANOVA analysis, it was indicated that there was a significant effect of Time delay, i.e. the result of Instant Recall is better than that of Delayed Recall. And the effect of two keyword methods was also significant, that is, two keyword methods were superior to conventional method. However, an interaction effect between Approach and Time was not significant, that is, the memory loss caused by different Time delay was quite similar to each other for keyword method and conventional method. We might contribute it to that in terms of long-term memory ( four weeks in this study), the keyword method would not cause more memory loss, which was inconsistent with the previous study on short-term basis.In conclusion, the keyword method and its variants deserve a role in foreign language learning curricula.This essay mainly includes five parts. In Chapter 1, general vocabulary learning strategies were reviewed and a taxonomy was organized. Then, the keyword method was presented: its origin, its two versions, as well as some examples to illustrate it. In Chapter 2, the psycho-linguistic rationale and empirical literature review of keyword method was provided. The research description and data analysis was given in Chapter 3 and 4. Chapter 5 drew a conclusion and Chapter 6 proposed some ideas for classroom practice. |
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