The Effect of Input Elaboration on Iranian Elementary EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Development and Retention

Vocabulary is the backbone of reading, listening, writing, and speaking in First Language (L۱) andSecond Language (L۲). This study was designed to investigate whether the use of input elaboration couldaffect Iranian elementary EFL learners’ vocabulary development and retention. A quasi-experimentalmethod with the pretest-posttest control group design was used in this study. Twenty-two elementaryfemale learners from Pishtazan institute in Hamadan, Iran, were selected to participate in the study. Theywere randomly assigned to two groups, the control (traditional class, n=۸) and an experimental group(n=۱۴). This study was held for ۱۰ sessions that included one pre-test session, eight teaching sessions anda session for the post-test. The key English test (KET), as the pretest was administered to the groups.After ۸ sessions, KET, as the post test was given to these groups. To test vocabulary retention, theposttest was administered a second time to the three groups after two weeks. After data collection, SPSSsoftware version ۲۰ was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that the experimental group didnot perform better than the control group. Regarding vocabulary retention, there was no significantdifference between the groups.

Keywords:

Input Elaboration , Vocabulary Development , Retention