The Use Of Icts To Overcome Vocabulary Attrition In Efl Context: Case Of First-year Efl Students At Tlemcen University :

Résumé: Vocabulary attrition or the gradual decline of lexical items over time is a phenomenon that can pose challenges for language learners in all languages; be it first, second or a foreign language. Therefore, in Foreign Language (FL) the occurrence is more observable since learners are not constantly exposed to the target language. Thus, this article was an attempt to investigate the reasons whereby students forget their vocabulary during formal instruction. In this vein an experimental endeavour was launched among EFL learners in their very beginning initiation to tertiary education where all modules are meant to present a fully English-oriented instruction in terms of content, form and methodology. The experiment spotted light on the use of Information and Communication Technologies as a medium to mitigate storing and recalling as well as to enhance the students’ proficiency through the daily exposure to contextualised vocabulary. Accordingly, a case study involving 54 students from the department of English, Tlemcen University was carried out. The researcher opted for three different research instruments to ensure the validity of the collected data, namely students’ questionnaire, teachers’ interview, and a classroom observation. The employed instruments revealed that first-year EFL students are affected by attrition mainly in the productive skills, specifically speaking for the significant role it plays in daily life communication. Moreover, it revealed that lack of interaction and exposure to the target language are the main reasons of vocabulary attrition. Finally, the results suggested that the advent of ICTs in the current era is beneficial to overcome vocabulary attrition in EFL context. Overall, optimizing technological tools in language learning is essential in order to strengthen the students’ linguistic repertoire.

Publié dans la revue: أفاق معرفية