Impact of Using Pictures on English Vocabulary Retention and Recall by Primary Stage Learners in Al-Mikhwah Province

Abstract

This study aimed to discover the impact of using pictures on English vocabulary retention and recall by primary stage students. The participants of this study included thirty-six male students with an average age of 11 from an elementary school in Al-Mikhwah province, Saudi Arabia. They were randomly divided into two homogenous groups: a semi-experimental group which was taught the target words with visual aids, using pictures, and a control group which was taught the target words traditionally through translation. Both groups were taught thirty English words during two sessions. All participants did a preliminary test before the treatment to assign the target words to be taught in the sessions. They also did three similar tests: a pre-test to make sure that the two groups are homogenous, and two post-tests, immediate and delayed, to measure participants' ability of vocabulary retention and recall immediately after the treatment and after two weeks from the treatment. The results revealed that the semi-experimental group participants scored higher marks than the control group participants in both the immediate and delayed post-tests. That is, English vocabulary meanings can be recalled better when they are taught by using pictures rather than by translation method. According to these results, the researcher recommends that pictures should be exploited by teachers in teaching vocabulary for primary stage learners.