Latin vocabulary acquisition: An experiment using information processing techniques of chunking and imager

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect on student performance and attitude toward high school Latin by Latin I students when provided with vocabulary instruction through chunking and imagery.;The subjects of this research project were Latin I students drawn from three suburban North Texas high schools with populations of more than 1600 students. Each subject took a pretest on twenty-one Latin vocabulary words taken from Jenney's Fourth Year Latin. Following the pretest, each subject then received a list of these same twenty-one Latin vocabulary words to study prior to the immediate posttest. Comparison Group A received a list of words grouped randomly into three groups of seven. Comparison Groups B and C received a list of words categorized by definition into three groups of seven. Comparison Group C received a five minute imagery treatment prior to the immediate posttest. The Control Group received neither a chunking technique nor an imagery treatment. A delayed posttest was given to all four groups two weeks following the immediate posttest. The delayed posttest took a total of ten minutes; study time and prior notice were not given. The Confidence in Learning Latin Scale followed the delayed posttest.;The data for the pretest, immediate posttest and delayed posttest were analyzed with an ANOVA. At the.05 level of confidence, there was no statistical difference between the groups for the pretest; however, the immediate posttest and the delayed posttest were further analyzed with multiple pair-wise comparisons using a Fisher-protected Test for Least Significant Difference. The Confidence in Learning Latin Scale data was analyzed with a F-ratio at the.05 level of confidence.;Based on the findings, it is possible to conclude that imagery and chunking instruction do significantly improve student performance among high school Latin I students. It may also be noted that chunking and imagery instruction do not significantly encourage confidence in learning Latin.