The effect of linguistic context on EFL vocabulary learning

There is limited literature on the role of linguistic context in learning and remembering new vocabulary items by EFL learners. To fill this gap in literature and to further explore the relationship between surrounding linguistic context and learning, and retention of new words, this study was set out to investigate whether systematically changing the amount of surrounding context has any significant effect on learning and retention of new vocabulary items. Forty-seven Iranian female advanced EFL learners within the age range of 18-24 were employed in this study and were taught 100 new vocabulary items (unknown words) in ten sessions and in three different contextual conditions (i.e., 1. one known word, one unknown/new word2. two known words, one unknown/new wor