November 2007 Volume 3 Issue 2
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Article Title
Which Word Types (Technical or General) are more Difficult to Retain by the Iranian High School Learners?

Author
Ali Jahangard
Isfahan University, Iran

Bio Data
Ali Jahangard is currently pursuing a doctorate in Applied Linguistics at the University of Isfahan, Iran. He received his MA in TEFL from the same university in 1996. He is also teaching English to L2 learners in Iranian public high schools.

Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate the learners’ memory for the retention of technical and general vocabulary. The participants in this study were 33 Iranian language learners of an all-boy high school, aging between 16 and 18. They were all in their third year of studying Mathematics/Physics as their major field of study. They had been exposed to 264 hours of formal instruction in English as a foreign language at high schools in Iran. Two word lists of general vocabulary and technical vocabulary were used in two phases in the study. The results revealed that (t = 1.314, d.f. = 33, α = .05, t-critical= 1.697) there was no statistically significant difference between the group’s performance on the tasks of immediate technical vocabulary retention (m= 34.41) and immediate general vocabulary retention (m= 35. 91). Likewise, no statistically significant results were found between the learners’ delayed retention of technical and general vocabulary. The obtained t-value from the comparison of the two means was (t = 437, α= .05, d.f. = 33). A detailed discussion of the results of the study is also included.

Key words: Vocabulary learning/teaching, Intentional vocabulary learning, EAP, ESP.

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