Meaning recall and retention: Comparison between translation method and pictorial method in learning vocabulary in Saudis' school

Learning vocabulary is an essential component in learning a second language. SLA researchers have argued that explicit vocabulary strategy is more effective than incidental vocabulary strategy especially for learners at the elementary proficiency level. Previous studies have shown that the translation method is an effective mode of instruction for teaching English vocabulary for ESL and EFL learners at the elementary level. This study compared the effectiveness of translation method and pictorial method in teaching English vocabulary for EFL learners at the elementary level. The total number of participants was 36. All participants were from a secondary school in Saihat, Saudi Arabia. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare the effectiveness of both methods. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the translation method group (experimental) (MS = 8.76, SD = 7.67) and pictorial method group (control) (MS = 11.60, SD = 10.87). Pictorial method participants scored higher than translation method participants on all the immediate recall tests and the delayed post-test. The results of the study rejected the null hypothesis because they showed that the pictorial method is more effective than the translation method for EFL learners at elementary level. The author of this study suggests the use of several methods for teaching EFL and ESL learners at elementary level instead of using one method.