The effects of unfocused and focused tasks on Iranian EFL ‎learners’ vocabulary learning and retention

The study reported in this article examined the impact of unfocused and focused tasks on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. Iranian intermediate EFL learners (n=21) were selected and assigned to three instructional conditions. Participants in the first experimental group (n=7) performed two dictogloss tasks which required them to reconstruct the text, with predetermined lexical items, which the instructor read to them. In the second experimental group, the participants were given some pictures related to the preselected words, in order to help them narrate two stories to their partners who did not see the pictures. Finally, the participants in the comparison group received two sessions of vocabulary instruction, through the Presentation, Production, and Practice model. The results obtained from repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni correction, revealed that in terms pf vocabulary learning, participants in the focused task group outperformed the two remaining groups significantly and there was no significant difference between unfocused and comparison groups. In addition, concerning vocabulary retention, participants in the focused task group, did better than those in the unfocused task group. However, there was no significant difference between the unfocused and comparison groups and between focused and comparison groups. The results provide evidence to support the necessity of planned focus-on-form in task-based vocabulary learning which entails the use of focused tasks in language pedagogy.