Most second language acquisition (SLA) research has documented the processes involved in learning second/foreign languages, with few studies focusing on the durability of attained second language (L2) skills once instructed learners/users are no longer receiving formal instruction. The current study examines the effects of continued exposure and…

Purpose -- Writing is a difficult skill to master and improve, especially for students who learn English as a second language. Thus, this study explores the impact of employing graphic organizers on the writing performance of Form Four students and their knowledge retention. These students were 16year-olds at the time of study. Furthermore, the…

Memory retrieval is well known to modify retention of not only retrieved material, but also related, non-retrieved material. This dissertation consists of two manuscripts that investigated retrieval phenomena in the learning of foreign language vocabulary and science education material. The testing effect--the retention benefit of practicing…

Studies have shown that informing language learners about the literal underpinning of idioms can help them to remember these expressions. It has also been suggested that prompting learners to guess the meaning of lexical items may be beneficial because it can pique their curiosity and promote cognitive engagement. In the case of idioms, the…

Vocabulary plays a significant role in the learning process of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, especially undergraduates who need to read academic materials and listen to specialized lectures in English. However, retaining lexical items is still a challenging task for many EFL learners. The current study seeks to examine the…

This study used event-related potential (ERP) and retrieval practice effect paradigm to investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the retrieval practice effect in a third language (L3) vocabulary learning. Thirty-five Chinese (First Language, L1)-English (Second Language, L2) bilinguals without prior knowledge of French (L3) studied 120…

We investigated whether learning and retaining vocabulary in a second language (L2) can be improved by leveraging a combination of memory enhancement techniques. Specifically, we tested whether combining retrieval practice, spacing, and related manipulations in a 'multidomain' pedagogical approach enhances vocabulary acquisition as compared to a…

Research has suggested that long spacing (i.e., temporal intervals) within a training session facilitates second language vocabulary learning. Studies, however, have been limited to treatment that involved sessions for only initial learning but not subsequent relearning. Furthermore, most studies have investigated only the benefits of spacing…

In L1 attrition research, it's recognized that a previously acquired language can transform under the influence of a newly acquired one. However, the precise L1-L2 relationship is intricate and warrants further study. Some research suggest that L2 mastery might reduce L1 proficiency, while others show that both languages can be maintained. Age of…

Using computational Social Network Analysis (SNA), this longitudinal study investigates the development of the interaction network and its influence on the second language (L2) gains of a complete cohort of 41 U.S. sojourners enrolled in a 3-month intensive study-abroad Arabic program in Jordan. Unlike extant research, our study focuses on…

Singing or listening to songs is one of the most common L2 activities outside the classroom, and many language teachers integrate songs in their teaching; however, the effect of varying song practice modes on L2 learners' retention of linguistic knowledge is under-researched. Eighty-seven EFL learners of university students were recruited and…

Information from television, the internet, and digital media surrounds us. Multimedia links us to other languages and cultures. Multimedia provides several benefits for foreign language learning. The goal of this research was to see how semi-contextualized television programs and subtitled TV shows help vocabulary retention during language…

This study aimed to investigate the effect of teaching vocabulary through asynchronous social media on EFL learners' vocabulary learning and retention. To fulfill the objective of this study, the researcher selected 57 EFL learners through convenience sampling method. The participants were assigned randomly into two groups of the experimental…

Working memory (WM) is essential to vocabulary learning. However, limited attention has been paid to young beginner learners' vocabulary development under various task conditions from the perspective of WM. This study investigates how two types of WM--complex WM and phonological short-term memory--may influence two instructional approaches (i.e.,…

Neural Machine Translation (NMT) has gained increasing popularity among EFL learners as a CALL tool to improve vocabulary, and many learners have reported its helpfulness for vocabulary learning. However, while there has been some evidence suggesting NMT's facilitative role in improving learners' writing on the lexical level, no study has examined…