Distributed Retrieval Practice and Picture Illustrations: Improving Initial Aural Foreign Vocabulary Learning

Aural foreign vocabulary is vital for listening skills proficiency, which empowers individuals to engage with foreign languages and cultures effectively. However, many learners struggle with aural foreign vocabulary learning. Thus, we investigate effective methods for the acquisition and recognition of aural foreign vocabulary, focusing on the response type (pictures or translations) and the spacing schedule. Our findings suggest that providing pictures alone as the multiple-choice response options during learning is more effective for the acquisition of aural vocabulary than relying solely on the native translations or a combination of both. During the posttest, the results indicated that learning with picture response alone was superior with no indication of a significant interaction between the practice condition and the spacing schedule. The spacing schedule of the multiple-choice practice significantly impacts the recognition of aural vocabulary. The longer spacing yielded higher recognition rates at the posttest.