Erten & Tekin

Effects on vocabulary acquisition of presenting new words in semantic sets versus semantically unrelated sets

It seems logical that a list of vocabulary would be best retained if presented in a semantically related set. This article raised a point I had never considered--words presented in a semantic group can lead to interfering effect on learning. This "Interference Theory" is what is being tested in the study. Fourth graders in Turkey are taught 80 new English words over three weeks using flashcards and reinforced through repetition.
The findings of this study surprised me: the words taught in unrelated groups had higher recall showing that semantically unrelated sets appeared to be learned more easily and faster. Erten and Tekin explain that with semantically related words, the learner has to discern difference which can lead to confusion later. Whereas, with words that are semantically unrelated, the activation state is longer for the learner, while he or she can more easily discriminate the differences in meaning, the task of processing to consolidate is more effective.

A couple of questions that are raised in this study that made me pause and consider my role as a teacher were 1) the way that words are presented, depends on the text. The textbook my classes use, will play a big role in the way that they learn words. This is not to say I will not make changes, but there is definitely a set precedent. And 2) this study was carried out with fourth graders, whose L1 is still in its developmental state. How might the findings of this study be different if it were to be carried out among adolescents?