ABSTRACT

This chapter compares keyword and context strategies with learners enrolled in various undergraduate Arabic courses. The context strategy is an indirect strategy used in vocabulary instruction. A common strategy in direct vocabulary instruction is the keyword mnemonic strategy. The keyword mnemonic strategy received attention after R. Atkinson and M. Raugh documented how using the strategy helped learners acquire Russian vocabulary. The keyword mnemonic and context strategy represent different instructional strategies used for foreign language learning. The design and use of these strategies can serve different purposes for different audiences. M. A. McDaniel et al. found that learners who used the keyword strategy did better than the learners who used the context strategy when given an immediate post-test. The expertise reversal effect may explain that the keyword strategy is best for lower proficiency levels and that the context strategy is best for more advanced learners.