An experimental investigation of the effects of an imagery strategy on vocabulary learning and retention

Abstract

Policy mandates to increase the time dedicated to the teaching of reading and mathematics has left little time for arts instruction. Recent research has indicated a positive relationship between improvement in reading comprehension and the integration of arts into instruction. Teaching students to use mental imagery as a reading strategy is one approach that capitalizes on a dual coding view of learning while incorporating arts into content classes. The goal of this experimental study was to add empirical support to the growing body of literature establishing the use of mental imagery as a reading strategy. General linear modeling was used to investigate the effect of an imagery strategy on vocabulary learning while controlling for prior vocabulary knowledge. The results reveal that students who learned vocabulary using an imagery strategy had better retention of those words than students who used a typical approach to learn vocabulary. The findings suggest that including imagery in vocabulary instruction will help with deeper processing of the vocabulary words. Imagery instruction serves a dual purpose of improving reading and including arts in classes where arts instruction has been neglected. The findings from this study have implications for teachers, school administrators and planners, and policy makers, as they provide support for integrating arts into content areas.