Effects of Different Modes of Spacing on Iranian EFL Learners' Lexical Knowledge Development: Proficiency Levels in Focus

This study examined the effect of spacing on lexical development focusing on the Iranian EFL learners’ proficiency levels. Participants were ۱۲۰ EFL learners from ۲۲ to ۲۶ of age who were studying at several English institutes in Isfahan. Three tests were used to collect the required data. First, OQPT was employed to place the learners with similar language abilities in an experimental group and a control group. Based on the OQPT results, each group was divided into two sub-groups including ۳۰ high and ۳۰ low proficiency learners. Then a pretest was conducted to evaluate the EFL learners’ vocabulary knowledge. Learners in both control and experimental groups received the same lexicon but in different ways. Experimental groups were taught new words through spaced instruction, while control groups received through massed instruction. The spacing classes were held once a week in seven weeks while massed classes were held in one session in the eights week. During the posttest, the researcher devised an achievement test, administered it after the treatment; the results were compared and analyzed in order to determine the extent of the participants' vocabulary improvement. Findings of this research showed that using spaced instruction caused high proficiency learners to significantly outweigh the low proficiency ones. Since spacing has been widely known to have a positive effect on learning and long-term memory (Cepeda et al., ۲۰۰۶), therefore it can be found useful for curriculum developers and syllabus designers in deciding where to put the new vocabulary in a course or a book

کلیدواژه ها:

Spacing Instruction ، Massed Instruction ، EFL Proficiency Level ، Lexical Development