The Combined Effects of Keyword Method and Phonics Instruction on 5th Graders' English Vocabulary Learning in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Fang-Yi Lin, 林芳憶
• Other Authors: Chin-Kuei Cheng
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/04663240944670781928

碩士 === 臺北市立教育大學 === 英語教學系碩士班 === 97 === Previous studies revealed beneficial effects of keyword method on learning of word meaning; however, its effect on productive recall performance is inconclusive. On the other hand, studies also suggested that spelling ability can be increased via phonics instruction. However, learning of word meaning of the explicit phonics instruction is prone to be deemphasized. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the combined effect of the keyword method and phonics instruction on elementary school students’ English vocabulary learning. The participants were 105 elementary school students learning 30 English target words. Three intact EFL classes were randomly assigned to three treatment groups (keyword, phonics, and combined keyword-phonics). These Chinese-speaking students then received 3 days of instruction. Both receptive and productive recall tests were used to measure the learning effects both immediately and one week later. The study investigated two research questions: (1) Which of the three treatment groups (phonics group, keyword group, and combined keyword-phonics group) will perform the best on the immediate and delayed receptive recall tests? (2) Which of the three treatment groups (phonics group, keyword group, and combined keyword-phonics group) will perform the best on the immediate and delayed productive recall tests? The quantitative analysis of the data was performed through descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA. The results show that (1) the keyword group and the combined keyword-phonics group performed significantly better than the phonics group on the immediate and delayed receptive recall tests, and (2) the phonics group and the combined keyword-phonics group performed significantly better than the keyword group on the immediate and delayed productive recall test. Thus, the finding suggested that the keyword method facilitated students’ learning of word meaning and that the phonics instruction promoted the students’ English spelling abilities. Therefore, combining the two methods not only facilitated students’ learning of word meaning but also enhanced students’ spelling abilities. Based on the findings, teaching implications, limitations of the present study, and suggestions for future study are provided.