Morphological Awareness and Recall of Passive Vocabulary in Adult Learners

Abstract

A modified and enhanced replication of an original experiment aimed to discover the extent of immediate and long-term vocabulary recall that exploited the mnemonic value of morphemes. Data for a sample size of 360 students were disaggregated based on age and gender using a pre/posttest instrument to determine immediate gains, and a long-term posttest (avg. 5.5 mos.) to determine the lasting effects of the intervention. Results revealed that older adults outperformed younger adults on all measures of the instrument and across all timeframes, with the oldest cohort significantly outperforming all other age groups, and women outperformed men, also on all measures across all timeframes, and significantly so on the vocabulary section of the instrument. Gain scores for all students across all measures and timeframes provide empirical support of the mnemonic value of morphemes when incorporated into a program offering direct vocabulary instruction for adult learners.