A Text-Based Approach in Virtual Education and Its Role in Vocabulary Retention in Linguistic Memory

Finding a way to retain vocabulary in memory is closely tied to the issue of linguistic memory and the necessity of deep processing. Text-based vocabulary instruction, grounded in the three-phase model proposed by Dr. Peter Kühn (2000) – receptive, reflective, and productive vocabulary learning – seeks to activate this deeper processing by emphasizing text production. The author's previous research (2018) demonstrated that, in face-to-face classrooms, text production could improve learners' short- and medium-term memory performance. With the ever-increasing expansion of virtual learning environments and their associated benefits, the question now arises as to whether this same effect can be replicated in a virtual context. The present study, continuing this same line of research and, for the first time, simultaneously investigated the impact of this model across four temporal memory intervals (short-, medium-, long-, and longer-term) using two methods of vocabulary assessment (strict and comprehensive) in a virtual environment. The results, while reaffirming the efficacy of text production, revealed novel findings: the impact of this method on short-term memory was remarkably strong, and this effect largely persisted into the longer-term intervals. Text production enabled learners to better recall the acquired words in the short, medium, long, and longer term, thereby positively enhancing their linguistic memory performance and vocabulary retention. Accordingly, by bridging theory and technology, this study opens new horizons for research in this domain and offers an effective strategy for vocabulary instruction in virtual environments.