THE EFFECT OF KEYWORD STRATEGY ON LEXICO-SEMANTIC LEARNING, COMPREHENSION AND RETENTION AMONG ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE UNDERGRADUATESTUDENTS IN FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION KANO
THE EFFECT OF KEYWORD STRATEGY ON LEXICO-SEMANTIC LEARNING, COMPREHENSION AND RETENTION AMONG ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE UNDERGRADUATESTUDENTS IN FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION KANO
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Date
2020-02
Authors
SHITU, Fatima Muhammad
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Abstract
Vocabulary development is significant for mastering a second and a foreign language. Several
strategies for enhancing vocabulary development including Keyword Strategy have been
investigated. The Keyword Strategy for vocabulary learning /acquisition uses sound, visual, or
imagery-inducing keyword associations (pictures, cue words, and imagery) to facilitate
remembering or memory. It is a two-way procedure that facilitates word learning, retention and
recall through association. Studies of the effects of Keyword Strategy on vocabulary
development in mostly first and foreign language contexts have yielded a variety of positive
results. The present study investigated the effect of Keyword Strategy on lexico-semantic
learning, comprehension and retention among undergraduate learners in a second language
context. The samples consisted of three hundred second year undergraduate ESL learners in the
Department of English, Federal College of Education Kano which is a degree-awarding
institution affiliated to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The 2015/2016 academic year
undergraduates were selected using purposive sampling and were divided into six groups
consisting of fifty students each using random raffle draw. The data was collected using the
survey and the test techniques. The survey provided information about awareness and frequency
of use of lexical strategies, while the test assessed knowledge of lexical items. Using a pre-test
and post-test design, the subjects‟ abilities in learning, comprehension and retention of Medicine,
Agriculture and Photography (MAP) lexical items was assessed using the Word, Learning,
Recognition and Retention Test (WLRRT) and Cloze Comprehension Passage Test (CCPT).
The data collected from the survey and the test were analysed using the simple percentages and
mean statistics.
The findings indicated that the Keyword Strategy was significantly effective in enhancing the
undergraduate subjects‟ learning, comprehension and retention of the MAP lexical items studied.
This was evident in thehigher number of scores and higher number of correct responses obtained
at the post-test. The result of the survey revealed that the undergraduate ESL subjects were not
only aware of lexical strategies but also frequently used the determination and memory
strategies. Finally, the result revealed that the differences between male and femal e were
inconclusive. The results of the present study corroborated findings and conclusions from similar
studies in the literature.
Description
A thesis Submitted to the School of Postgraduate Studies, Ahmadu Bello University in
Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy (PhD) in English Language
Keywords
KEYWORD STRATEGY,, LEXICO-SEMANTIC LEARNING,, COMPREHENSION AND RETENTION,, ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE,, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION KANO