Does project-based learning enhance Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary recall and retention?

Vocabulary knowledge is an integral part of second/foreign language learning. Thus, using teachingmethods that can help learners retain and expand their vocabulary knowledge is necessary to facilitatethe language learning process. The current research investigated the effectiveness of an interactiveclassroom method, known as Project-Based Learning (PBL), in helping Iranian EFL learners not just learnbut retain new vocabulary knowledge. To this end, an experimental approach using two groups ofparticipants (i.e. experimental and control) was employed. The experimental group was taught usingthe PBL method while the control group was taught using the conventional method. The findings of thestudy indicated that learners who were taught using the PBL approach (i.e. the experimental group) hada significant improvement in their vocabulary recall and retention rate. Besides, they even showedbetter retention of new vocabulary with higher level of difficulty. This supports previous findings on theeffectiveness of PBL as a vocabulary teaching method in the EFL context which could contribute to thebetterment of the existing teaching methods.

Keywords:

project-based learning (PBL) , vocabulary knowledge , vocabulary recall , vocabularyretention , collaborative learning