TEACHING TECHNICAL VOCABULARY: ARE MATCHING EXERCISES THE THING OF THE PAST?

Evgueniya Lyu

DOI Number
https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP230718012L
First page
133
Last page
150

Abstract


This article examines the effectiveness of matching exercises as a method for teaching technical vocabulary within an ESP context. More specifically, it investigates the advantages of matching exercises in terms of their efficiency to help students acquire technical vocabulary, students’ perception of their efficiency, and student motivation, and compares the impact of modality on the aforementioned elements. The research describes two versions of an experiment conducted over two academic years on psychology students. Whereas written definitions were used in the first version, in the second version, definitions were presented in an oral form. The data were collected through questionnaires administered at the end of the class. The results indicate that matching exercises are, indeed, a valuable tool for the study of technical vocabulary, particularly receptive vocabulary. The participants generally evaluated the matching exercises as useful for vocabulary acquisition although their motivation towards such exercises was moderate. Moreover, the visual modality consistently outperformed the auditory modality in terms of efficiency, student perception, and student motivation. Despite some limitations, this study highlights the potential of matching exercises in teaching technical vocabulary. Matching exercises can serve as effective supplementary activities in ESP classes, allowing students to enhance their grasp of specialised language.


Keywords

ESP, technical vocabulary, specialised vocabulary, modality, language learning and teaching, matching exercises

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP230718012L

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