An experimental study on the effects of semantic and thematic clustering on English vocabulary learning by Chinese learners

Abstract

EFL learners in China are generally presented new L2 vocabulary in semantic clustering, e.g., shirt, sweater, jacket, coat. Although scholars offer little direct empirical foundation and justification in favor of the employment of semantic sets, most curriculum developers assume that it facilitates L2 vocabulary learning. In reality, it has been claimed that words should not be learned together in semantically related clustering on the grounds of interference effects. Based on the schema theory, presenting words in thematic clustering like library, books, study, whisper, quiet is suggested to be learned more effortlessly than groups of semantic clustering. On this account, the present experimental study is conducted to explore the effects of semantic and thematic clustering on English vocabulary learning by Chinese learners to shed new light on the most effective vocabulary presentation method in classrooms and textbooks. The study employed three lists of vocabulary sets representing semantic, unrelated, and thematic clustering, and two vocabulary recall tests. Ten English words accompanying their Chinese equivalents, phonetic transcriptions, illustrations, and sentence examples were presented in each clustering list. Vocabulary recall tests that contain English-to-Chinese (L2- L1) and Chinese-to-English (L1-L2) translation items were given immediately after each vocabulary learning treatment and one week later. The participants of the experiment constituted forty Chinese EFL learners in two proficiency levels: elementary and intermediate. Subjects in each proficiency level studied the three types of vocabulary lists in different orders. The results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in favor of thematic clustering over the semantic and unrelated lists in both the immediate and delayed vocabulary tests. The study could provide pedagogical implications for curriculum developers and teachers: Thematic clustering should be prioritized over semantic or unrelated clustering in L2 vocabulary presentation.