The Categorical Facilitation Effects on L2 Vocabulary Learning in a Classroom Setting

In the field of vocabulary acquisition, there have been many studies on the efficacy of word lists. However, very few of these were based on research in a classroom setting, and therefore, their results may not be applicable to standard classroom situations. This study investigated which of the five types of word lists (synonyms, antonyms, categorical, thematic, and arbitrary) facilitated L2 vocabulary learning in a classroom setting. The participants were classified into four clusters according to their learning styles, and the study compared the relative effectiveness of the types of word lists on different types of learners. The results showed that the most effective type of word list did not vary according to student clusters: all of the learners memorized the words in the categorical list more effectively than those in the other lists. Hence, the type of word list had a stronger effect on the efficacy of vocabulary learning than the individual learning style did.