The Effect of the Memorization Strategy on English Vocabulary Mastery among Second-Grade Students at SMPN 4 Patampanua

Abstract

This study examined whether the use of a memorization strategy produced a significant difference in English vocabulary mastery among second-grade students at SMPN 4 Patampanua. The study employed a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental control-group design. The population consisted of 124 second-grade students, while the sample comprised 60 students from two intact classes selected through purposive sampling. Class VIII.2 was assigned as the experimental group and received vocabulary instruction through a memorization strategy, whereas Class VIII.3 was assigned as the control group and received a conventional teaching strategy. The instructional procedure consisted of a pre-test, three treatment meetings, and a post-test. The memorization treatment required students to work with a target vocabulary list, write the words and meanings, memorize them through repetition and rehearsal, and demonstrate oral recall. Data were collected through a written vocabulary mastery test and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Shapiro–Wilk normality testing, Levene’s test, an Independent-Samples t-test, and Cohen’s d. The experimental group increased from a pre-test mean of 49.93 to a post-test mean of 78.57, whereas the control group increased from 55.57 to 67.07. The post-test comparison produced t = 4.696, df = 58, p < .001, with a mean difference of 11.50 points. The study therefore found a statistically significant difference in vocabulary mastery in favor of the memorization group. The thesis reports Cohen’s d = 1.21, interpreted as a large effect. The findings indicate that structured memorization, when systematically combined with writing, repetition, rehearsal, and oral retrieval, can be an effective strategy for developing foundational English vocabulary among junior high school EFL learners.