The Effect of Three Vocabulary Techniques on Iranian ESP Learners Vocabulary Production

The present study aimed to examine the effect of three vocabulary techniques—glossing, dictionary use, and etymological analysis—on Iranian ESP learners vocabulary production. Forty-five university students majoring in architecture at Azad University, Anzali branch, participated in this study. They were divided into three groups, and each group was randomly assigned to one kind of treatment condition (glossing group, dictionary group, and etymology group).The Michigan proficiency test was used to evaluate the language proficiency of ESP learners and to ensure the homogeneity of the learners. The three experimental groups received three tasks for three weeks. ESP learners took a vocabulary production test (VPT). A one-way between groups ANOVA was conducted to analyze the data. The results showed that dictionary use improved ESP learners vocabulary production, and dictionary group outperformed the other two groups. The study concludes that dictionary use facilitates vocabulary production.