INCREASING DEPTH OF VOCABULARY: A HIDDEN ASPECT OF VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE

Based on most researchers learning vocabulary is central to mastery of a language. There are many degrees of knowing about a word. This study mainly intends to show increase in depth of vocabulary knowledge of different proficiency groups by the intervention of memory strategies. 310 pre-university Indian female with different proficiency levels (high, mid, low) served as control and experimental groups. The result of t-tests between control and experimental groups after teaching through memory strategies indicated that although groups were homogeneous before treatment, teaching through memory strategies increased depth of vocabulary knowledge of experimental group significantly. Patterns of movements of vocabulary knowledge from unknown to known were also shown by vocabulary knowledge scale (VKS). The significant of the study lies in the fact that the importance of vocabulary learning strategies in enhancing depth of vocabulary knowledge of the students was shown.