Revisiting Total Physical Response: Evaluating Its Impact on Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention in EFL Classrooms

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of physical action on foreign language vocabulary acquisition. Total Physical Response (TPR) is a methodology developed half a century ago that was later abandoned, and there is now relatively little research into its potential for foreign language learning. The researchers aimed to revitalize this methodology and test its impact on vocabulary acquisition and retention in foreign language learning. The study was conducted at a secondary school in Iraq with twenty participants aged 14 to 15 years. A physical action game related to vocabulary spelling was integrated into English as Foreign Language (EFL) classes, after which participants were evaluated on vocabulary acquisition and retention. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered to assess their subjective satisfaction with the methodology. The results indicate that this method significantly enhanced vocabulary acquisition and retention among the students, and their subjective satisfaction was notably high. Given the relatively small sample size, this study serves as a pilot study, to be validated on a larger scale in the future. The implications are relevant for curriculum designers as well as the development of psycholinguistic theory. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms responsible for improved vocabulary acquisition and retention when using this methodology in the context of emerging cognitive science and psychology.