Abstract:

This research was an attempt to find an effective vocabulary-teaching method order for Iraqi young foreign language learners. An experiment was conducted during regular Iraqi class sessions for seven weeks, from April 13th to May 29th, 2019. In this experiment, two vocabulary-teaching method orders, explicit-first order and implicit-first order, were compared for effectiveness, using a within-group design. The participants of the groups were fourth graders at Al-Hadi Primary School in Babil Governorate, Iraq. Each group had almost thirty students. They had the same background when it came to learning English. Flashcards were used for the explicit vocabulary-teaching method, while stories were used for the implicit vocabulary teaching method. For the first three weeks, Group 1 was taught English vocabulary using the explicit method at the beginning of each session, followed by the implicit method. On the other hand, during each session, Group 2 was taught using the implicit method first, followed by the explicit method. Both groups had a one-week break in week four. After the break, the orders of vocabulary teaching methods were switched for each group for the next three weeks. The amount of words that the students could recall was measured by a multiple choice test at the end of each session. As a result of the experiment, slight differences were found between the two orders and two groups, but it is difficult to say which order is more effective than the other one because the difference was not remarkable. Rather, it is now assumed that the homeroom teacher's influence and the students' personalities, as well as environmental and affective factors, could be more critical to students' foreign language learning.

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