The title of the paper is "The Acquisition of Foreign Language Vocabulary: Does Spacing Effect Matter?" The primary focus of the research is to examine the effect of spaced instruction on vocabulary learning and retention among Saudi EFL learners.
The purpose of the study is to investigate whether spacing practice significantly impacts the acquisition, recall, and retention of English vocabulary in a classroom setting. The scope specifically addresses the comparative effectiveness of spaced instruction versus massed instruction in enhancing vocabulary retention.
The methodology employed involves a sample of 30 English major students at King Khalid University, divided into two groups: 15 students received massed instruction, and 15 students received spaced instruction. Both groups were taught 20 new words over two weeks, with the spaced instruction group receiving the content over three shorter sessions spread out across the week, while the massed group received the content in a single session each week. Post-tests were conducted immediately after the training and again three weeks later to measure retention.
Key findings reveal a statistically significant difference between the two groups, with the spaced instruction group outperforming the massed instruction group on both the immediate post-test and the delayed post-test. This indicates that spaced instruction is more effective in promoting long-term retention of vocabulary.
The study concludes that spaced instruction is a beneficial strategy for learning and retaining vocabulary in a foreign language. The findings support the adoption of spaced learning techniques in educational practices, suggesting that curriculum designers and EFL practitioners should consider incorporating spaced repetition into instructional materials to enhance vocabulary acquisition and retention. The study’s results are particularly relevant in the Saudi context, contributing to the relatively limited research on the spacing effect in the Arab world.