Examining the Impact of Retrieval Practice Versus Restudying on English Speaking Performance

Abstract

Vocabulary learning is a hard process for foreign language learners, and it forms the basis for effective speaking skills. Although prior research has documented effective ways to memorize vocabulary, there is limited information regarding which study strategies best allow students to also use newly learned words during speaking. This study focuses on retrieval practice (the act of recalling information from memory) as an effective way to remember novel vocabulary and compares it to restudying, a commonly used but potentially less effective approach. In this study, 30 secondary education students engaged in vocabulary learning of some words through retrieval practice (RP) and of other words through restudying, to compare which method better promotes the later active usage of vocabulary during speaking. The effects on speaking were measured via a collaborative drawing game in which students described images to one another. It was assessed which words were used more: words studied through RP or restudying. The results showed a significant difference between the two conditions, with the majority of participants using more words from the retrieval practice condition than from the restudy condition. It can be concluded that retrieval practice is a more effective preparation strategy for a speaking task than restudying.