THE EFFECT OF KEYWORD STRATEGY ON LEXICO-SEMANTIC LEARNING, RETENTION, AND COMPREHENSION

Back to Page Authors: Fatima Muhammad Shitu

Keywords: keyword strategy, learning, retention, comprehension

Abstract: Using a quasi-experimental design in an in-tact classroom situation, this study investigates the effect of Keyword Strategy on learning, retention, and comprehension of lexical items in English as a Second language context. The study seeks to find out the differences in performance between groups resulting from the use of the Keyword Strategy for vocabulary learning, retention, and comprehension at the pre-tests and post-tests levels. The samples consist of 300 undergraduate students studying English as a Second language in Federal College of Education in Kano State. The subjects used the Keyword Strategy to study 50 lexical items (word &meaning) each from the Medicine, Agriculture, and Photography (MAP) lexical fields for a semester. The data for the study was collected from the survey of awareness and frequency of use of VLS and from the test of vocabulary learning, retention, and comprehension through the Word Learning Recognition and Retention test (WLRRT) and Cloze Comprehension Passage Test (CCPT). The data analysis was carried out using simple percentages, mean, and t-test inferential statistics. The findings from the study show that; (1) the samples are aware of lexical strategies and frequently use the Memory and Determination Strategies; and (2) the subjects performed significantly higher and better at the post-tests which imply that the use of the Keyword Strategy has been effective in lexical learning, retention, and comprehension.