An Investigation of the Impacts of Mnemonic Strategies on L2 Vocabulary Comprehension of Primary Students

Effective vocabulary learning strategies play a fundamental role in the area of language learning and increase the vocabulary range and knowledge of students across various proficiency levels. Nowadays, students are eager to employ learning strategies which promote self-directed learning. Among the recommended vocabulary learning strategies, mnemonic strategies emerge as helpful and effective techniques for enlarging vocabulary. In this regard, the present study aims to examine the impacts of three mnemonic strategies, including the peg word, keyword, and loci techniques, on vocabulary comprehension among primary students. For this purpose, a total of 104 male elementary students in Iran participated in the study. The three experimental groups learned new words following the instructions of the chosen techniques, while the control group employed the memorization technique. A vocabulary comprehension post-test was administered, and the outcomes were assessed through a one-way ANOVA. The results revealed that the loci technique participants surpassed the performance of the remaining groups in the vocabulary comprehension test. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for syllabus designers, curriculum developers, institutions, and schools.