Investigating the Effects of EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Gain and Retention Levels on their Choice of Memory and Compensation Strategies in an E-learning Project

Abstract

Numerous forms of Internet-based communication tools are available with the advent of the Internet and mobile technologies. The present study investigated the effects of learners’ vocabulary gain and retention levels on their choice of memory and compensation strategies in an E-learning context. One hundred and eighty participants took part in this study. A series of 120 audio podcasts plus still pictures as well as animated pictures were presented to the participants in the Telegram channel. Fifteen strategy items on a five-point Likert scale by means of a voting robot system on the main page of the channel was presented to the participants after the treatment. Moreover, an immediate and a delayed vocabulary posttest in the form of multiple-choice were administered, separately. Four one-way ANOVAs were run in order to answer the questions. The results revealed that the level of vocabulary gain and retention significantly affected the choice of memory and compensation strategies. This study shows that academic podcasts can be used as reliable materials in new learning paradigm through a series of innovative designs as well as collaborations among the participants in the academic world.