Arab Educational Information Network

Teaching English in Saudi Arabia is very important to both teachers and students in both private and public education. When considering memorization as a method of teaching vocabulary, we note that English courses include much more information than other courses. Accordingly, it is argued that a proper method of teaching all this amount of information is needed in order to lead students to acquire as much of English vocabulary as possible through memorization skills. This study mainly explores the effectiveness of six memorization strategies in EFL vocabulary building in a 2nd year communication skills course taught in English at the college of Education at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. Participants were 40 EFL students. The methods employed in this study were pre and post multiple choice vocabulary tests of newly learned vocabulary and the six most crucial strategies used are: awareness, association, link system, ridiculous association, substitution word system and keyword. In the light of issues reviewed and raised in literature and upon the completion of the study, the following research question was asked and answered: Are the six major memorization techniques effective for vocabulary gain? And the following hypothesis has been considered: There is a difference in knowledge gain of vocabulary before and after the pre and post test. This study proves that the six memorization strategies provide an excellent opportunity for both teachers and students to practice thinking skills and at the same time gain the knowledge. The six strategies facilitate visual and linguistic skills in authentic real life images and connections.(Published abstract)