Semantic and Structural Elaboration in L2 Vocabulary Learning and Retention

The present study was an attempt to examine the effect of semantic and structural elaboration on L2 vocabulary learning and retention. The participants were 44 second and third grade female students. They were grouped randomly in two elaboration groups: semantic and structural. Forty five new English words were instructed in three sessions and the participants in each group did a task which was grouping words based on either meaning (semantic) or number of letters (structure). They took an immediate post-test and delayed one in a two-week interval. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the effect of semantic and structural elaboration on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention.