A study on the effects of English vocabulary presentation modes on vocabulary memory for Chinese learners: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Vocabulary memory is very important for the learning of English language. One of the main factors affecting vocabulary learning and memory is vocabulary presentation modes. In this study, total nine categories of vocabulary presentation modes are summarized, and the short-term and long-term memory effects of English vocabulary in different vocabulary presentation modes with classical word-list presentation as the baseline are examined by a meta-analysis of 27 empirical studies about Chinese learners. The results showed that thematic clustering and context presentation have the best effects for short-term and long-term memory respectively. In terms of educational levels, thematic clustering and picture presentation are most suitable for middle school students' short-term and long-term memory respectively, while for high school, the presentation modes with the best short-term and long-term effects are word-list and context guessing respectively. These findings will provide implications for future English vocabulary learning.