Comparative effects of Semantic vs Structural Elaboration on Iranian EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning Process

Attempting to improve teaching instructions, researchers have proposed numerous instructional techniques. In vocabulary learning as one of the key areas in EFL, inadequate knowledge leads to complications and frequently faces the learners with challenges. This study explores how an instructional technique that employs semantic, structural, and semantic/structural elaboration affects vocabulary learning. The research was carried out with 114 participants who experienced the mentioned elaborations in three groups. For creating a +semantic, +structural, and +semantic/structural climate in each group, participants were given flashcards containing words beside the equivalents, words by numbered letters without any equivalents, and words by numbered letters beside the equivalents, respectively. The data—obtained from Lexical Production Scoring Protocol (LPSP)—were then input into One-way ANOVA and Post-hoc tests. To check the accuracy of Transfer Appropriate Processing (TAP) theory, different tasks during the teaching and testing phases in +semantic were designed. Due to this inconsistency, the findings proved to be in line with TAP theory, suggesting that Level of Processing (LOP) theory should be accompanied with TAP to end in facilitating results. Data analysis -mirroring the Type of Processing–Resource Allocation (TOPRA) effect- indicated that while the +semantic as compared to +semantic/structural facilitated performance on recall of words, had a negative effect in comparison with +structural. Based on the results, the limited processing resources remind curriculum developers to bear in mind which aspect of learning is of more importance to let the learners make the most and best use of their inborn gifts.