The Effect of Analytic vs. Synthetic Mental Image Practice on Iranian Intermediate EF L learners` Spelling Accuracy

This study investigated the effect of mental image practice on EFL learners spelling accuracy. The mental image in this study included of synthetic mental image practice vs. analytic mental image practice. The participants of this study were 60 EFL intermediate learners from Tehran institutes. Both males and females participated in this study. The participants of this study were first homogenized by Nelson language proficiency test and after that they were assigned to 3 groups. One control group and two experimental groups consisting of synthetic mental image group and analytic mental image group, 20 students were in each group. After making the participants homogenize the researcher conducted a teacher made vocabulary test in order to homogenize them based on the amount of their vocabulary knowledge. For the pretest process the participants took a teacher made vocabulary item and each test which was answered by more than %25 of the students was discarded. For the treatment part the students in the experimental groups received analytic and synthetic mental image practice, after 1 month from the last session the researcher administered the vocabulary spelling test again in order to find the effectiveness of the treatment. Finally it was found that analytic mental image was more effective than synthetic mental image and females outperformed males