The effectiveness of the keyword method for vocabulary learning in deaf young adults

The performance of 18 deaf college students who learned English words and their definitions using the mnemonic keyword method with pictorial elaboration was compared with the performance of 13 controls who learned the same words and their definitions using their own strategies. Immediate and delayed prompted word-definition recall and delayed word-recognition measures were used to compare the performance of the two groups. Results indicated that subjects' immediate recall of word-definitions was better than delayed recall. A significant facilitative effect of the keyword method was found for word-definition recall. It is concluded that the mnemonic method is a useful classroom technique to introduce new English vocabulary to deaf students. (17 references) (JDD) *************************************************** ***************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the test that can be made from the original document. ********************************x*********************************,:**** r\n Th. keyword method 1 The effectiveness of the keyword method for vocabulary learning in deaf young adults Ha Parasnis John Conklin National Technical Institute for the Deaf Rochester Institute of Technology Paper presehied at the Annual Meeting of the 1991 American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. April 3-7, 1991 THE KEYWORD METHOD AND DEAF LEARNERS BEST COPY AVAILABLE U 3 DEPARTMENT OP EDUCATION Htt P 011 (b., ahnnal Rawiich and 1,4)4..1...nem E DUCA T1ONAt RE SOURCES INFORMATION CENTFR(FRIC1 ?NS dOc ument nee been feproauced as foce.v0(1 lion, Inv pe,SOn o oripin.lhon vrtalng t M.not Nowt hate otter, mama to ,mp,ove hon cuall,tv Po.nts v 4t or oon kInS Shilpd p th.% mem At. not nPCPSSaniv .0P,HEIOnt Oh( .51 (SI HI pos.toOn Oi 11,118, -PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS iEFIIAL HAS BEENPRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC).The keyword method 2 Abstract The performance of deaf college students who learned English words and their definitions using the mnemonic keyword method with pictorial elaboration was compared with the performance ot their controls who learned the same words and their definitions using their own strategies. Immediate and delayed prompted word-definition recall and delayed word-recognition measures were used to compare the performance of the two groups. A facilitatory effect of the keyword method was found in deaf students for the word-definition recall suggesting that this mnemonic method is a useful classroom technique to introduce new English vocabulary to deaf students.The performance of deaf college students who learned English words and their definitions using the mnemonic keyword method with pictorial elaboration was compared with the performance ot their controls who learned the same words and their definitions using their own strategies. Immediate and delayed prompted word-definition recall and delayed word-recognition measures were used to compare the performance of the two groups. A facilitatory effect of the keyword method was found in deaf students for the word-definition recall suggesting that this mnemonic method is a useful classroom technique to introduce new English vocabulary to deaf students.