The effect of task type and task sequence on the learning of EAP vocabulary in medical students

Vocabulary plays the main role in the foreign language learning and without vocabulary knowledge is not established any communication. The current study was aimed to investigate the effect of input tasks, input plus output tasks, and output plus input task on vocabulary learning of advanced medical students.
The participants of this pre-experimental study were 45 advanced students majoring different fields of medicine, selected after taking a TOEFL proficiency test. To collect the relevant data the students were randomly divided into three groups. After taking VKS test for choosing the vocabulary which the students don’t know, a pretest was administered. In the following three weeks the students received different types of treatment based on their group to learn the meaning of the intended vocabulary. A post-test was administered two days after the treatments were completed.
The analysis of the results showed that all three methods of treatment had an effect on the learning of students. However, one way ANOVA showed that the two groups receiving both input and output tasks with different sequences had a more significant improvement in their vocabulary learning.
The results showed that the two mixed methods proved to be the most effectiveness to improve the learning of EAP vocabulary learning in students. The result of this study is useful for material developers and EFL teachers, especially those teaching English for academic purposes.