The effects of technique feature analysis on retention of form recall in written production

A lack of productive vocabulary knowledge tends to cause failures in communicative competence among EFL learners. Effective materials and vocabulary frameworks can help these learners to overcome the challenge. Technique Feature Analysis (TFA) framework has been used as a guidance for vocabulary material development. Yet, research into its effectiveness is limited and the impact of its five components (Motivation, Noticing, Retrieval and Generative Use) towards word learning is still unclear.
To fill the gap, this study examines the effectiveness of the TFA framework for two main purposes: 1) to investigate the predictive power of the TFA framework on form recall knowledge and 2) to explore the support of each TFA component (Motivation, Noticing, Retrieval and Generative Use) on retention (short-term retention and long-term retention) of form recall.
This is a quasi-experimental research design study with three repeated measurement. The constructed vocabulary test as a main research tool was implemented across three testing times (as Pre-test, Immediate Posttest, and Delayed Posttest). Quantitative data analysis through linear Mixed-Effects Models was employed to address the research questions.
The findings have shed light on the predictive power of the framework on form recall and give a clearer picture of potential factors affecting vocabulary learning. While Motivation, Noticing, Retrieval and Generative Use can lead to learning, they differ in degree of support on short-term and long-term retention of word form. Importantly, this thesis makes valuable contributions to vocabulary framework evaluation and validation. It captured the mismatch between TFA evaluated scores and test scores, suggesting that further improvement of the criteria within the framework as well as proper training for raters should be considered. Last but not least, it provides recommendations for further research into form recall knowledge and vocabulary materials development.