The Impact of Guessing and Self-Correcting Lexical Items on Increasing Memorization

Abstract

Vocabulary items are of major importance in the field of language teaching and learning. Researchers have proposed many investigations whose aim is to study the factors that may enhance teaching or learning vocabulary items. It is commonly found that students encounter difficulties when it comes to remembering new lexical items, thus, the need for effective teaching techniques is essential. The aim of the current research paper is to investigate to what extent the implementation of the vocabulary teaching technique labeled as Guessing-Errors- Correction-Memorization (GECM) is effective in enhancing students’ memorization of lexical items. Subsequently, the hypothesis of the current study claims that student’s memorization of lexical items is enhanced when they are previously exposed to guessing then correction of the same lexical items. The explanation of the major elements, which are errors in language learning and memory and their relation to teaching, is reflected in two chapters representing the theoretical part of this study. Additionally, the third chapter has been devoted to the practical part of the study. The later has been carried out in Zeggout Ismail Middle School where 48 pupils represented the sample of the experiment. The sample has been divided into two groups (experimental and control groups). As far as the practical part is concerned, the data are collected from the analysis of five different sets of activities presented in five lessons, in addition to a post-test carried out with both groups at the end of the teaching practicum. The results obtained from the interpretation of the data show a slight difference between the experimental and the control group. It has been found that the experimental group performs better in the matter of memorizing guessed and self-corrected lexical items. The difference has been attributed to the effectiveness of the GECM technique