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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.62.02.25

How to Cite:

Introduction

Vocabulary learning is an essential part of

learning a language because it is the basic

building block of any language, and it is vital for

understanding and communicating.

Remembering vocabulary is one of the

Ma, Assistant Lecturer, English Language Teaching Department, Faculty of Education, Tishk International University, Erbil/Iraq.

complex and multi-faceted process that involves

the encoding, storage, and retrieval of

information. The three main types of memory are

sensory, short-term, and long-term memory.

Sensory memory is a brief, immediate record of

Volume 12 - Issue 62

memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968). The non-

memory and episodic memory. Semantic

memory refers to our general knowledge about

the world, including concepts, meanings, and

facts that are not tied to a specific time or place.

For example, knowing the capital of France

(Paris), the meaning of the word "book" or the

fact that dogs are mammals are all examples of

semantic memory.

Episodic memory is the ability to remember

unique past events (Tulving, 1983). This type of

memory receives and stores information about

vacation you took are all examples of episodic

memory. Episodic memory is intricately linked

to our sense of self and allows us to remember

our personal past experiences. Nikolaev et al.,

(2023) divided memory into two large

contrasting systems where knowledge is captured

by semantics and experience is captured by

episodic. If the intensity of the experience is

high, then it is likely that the corresponding

knowledge or information will be more easily

to consider them as separate entities. Tulving

believed that the information and representation

format of the systems were fundamentally

different; he saw episodic memories as

dependent on spatial and temporal relationships,

while semantic memory was based on concept-

based, meaning-associated relationships (Brigard

et al., 2022).

The purpose of this study is to conduct an

vocabulary with personal experiences to enhance

episodic memory. By exploring the potential

benefits of these theories, this study aims to

provide insights into effective methods for

methods that help students remember vocabulary

easily through theories that support episodic

remembering.

Methodology

A narrative synthesis is an approach used

systematically to collect and combine data from

multiple studies. First, the relevant studies about

the topic are summarized and interpreted

individually. The studies are assessed for their

quality, and the relationships between the studies

study overview of the memory system. In

addition to the narrative synthesis, based on the

review of the literature and the researcher's

understanding of the memory system, two

theories were formulated. These theories aimed

to provide a more comprehensive understanding

of how the memory system works and how it can

be studied in different contexts. These theories

may provide a useful framework for future

research in this area.

processing systems that receive information from

the perceptual system. The nature of storing

information is a cognitive and autobiographical

reference. Endel Tulving first founded episodic

memory to refer to the ability to remember things

based on personal experience (Tulving, 2001).

Since then, the concept has developed

considerably. It is called autographic memory.

This type of memory is necessary to remember

important events in human life that emotion

example, episodic memory does not mean

remembering your first day of class but also

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remembering the experience in the class for the

memory also can be knowledge and skill and the

same time. For example, swimming is a personal

experience and a skill simultaneously. The

degree of accuracy in remembering an event in

episodic memory relies on access to the context

in which the event happened. The context is the

physical surrounding in which the event

happened (Nikolaev et al., 2023).

Two critical factors of context that affect

episodic memory are the time and the location of

an experience (Gershman & Daw, 2017).

Tulving considers this kind of experience self-

knowing awareness (Tulving, 2002). Episodic

memory is not only capable of recalling past

experiences, but also it can time travel to the

future. This feature is exclusive only to episodic

memory. It is not possible for other kinds of.

Emotion is another important factor that affects

episodic memory; they are part of an episodic

of trauma are often difficult to forget.

Conway et al., (1992), and Debra and Herbert

(2001) have extended Tulving's memory

awareness constructs to real-world learning

situations and investigated how information

remember specifically. However, as learning

progresses, these memory representations shift

from being primarily episodic to being more

conceptual, generalized knowledge that students

simply know.

On the other hand, semantic memory refers to the

general knowledge that we know, whether it is

about concepts, facts, or beliefs (Martin & Chao,

2001). Semantic knowledge is independent; it

does not refer to any circumstances which were

originally acquired. For example, the knowledge

For example, if what is stored for canary in our

brain is the yellow bird that can sing, then the two

words that are linked to it are yellow and singer.

General information about the bird which is

flying feathers are not stored separately for each

kind of bird. Instead, the fact is canny is a bird so

that all birds can fly. This mode is called a

hierarchical model of semantic memory (Collins,

& Quillian, 1967). The links in this model

formed a hierarchical tree structure, with a top-

down classification of animals into subcategories

(e.g. birds, fish). This structure enabled the

model to explain both general concepts and

specific information in a single framework.

Accessing knowledge required navigating the

tree to the relevant branch, and the model was

Volume 12 - Issue 62

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frustration of not being able to express oneself

acquiring vocabulary for the effective use of a

second language and for producing complete

spoken and written texts. In both English as a

second language (ESL) and English as a foreign

language (EFL), vocabulary acquisition is

including listening, speaking, reading, and

writing. Laufer and Nationa (2016) argued that

an adequate vocabulary is essential for successful

second language use because, without it, learners

may not be able to use the structures and

functions they have learned to communicate

Vocabulary recall is a process of retrieving words

and their meaning. The process of vocabulary

recall involves encoding new information about

a word in the brain and storing it in memory. In

the storing stage, episodic and semantic memory

are involved; when one of them stores personal

information, another one which is semantic

stores general information. Later to retrieve

vocabulary, the cues are used to trigger recall,

searching the memory for the stored information,

connections between the brain regions involved

in vocabulary recall, improving future recall.

Fansury, & Januarty (2018) mentioned that

semantic and episodic memory have an effective

role in recalling vocabulary. Episodic memories

are associated with specific contextual

information. The sensory experiences and

emotions a student experiences during a lesson

become a part of the memory. These sensory and

emotional experiences of students to remember

them easily. According to Um et al. (2012),

positive emotions can facilitate learning and

contribute to academic achievement. When

material.

Episodic Memory to Recall Vocabulary

Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) emphasizes

the central role that experience plays in the

learning process. It provides a holistic model of

the learning process and a multilinear model of

adult development and is based on the works of

and by providing a hands-on, participatory

approach to learning that helps students connect

new information to their own experiences.

Affective factors could affect language learners.

For example, motivation and learner autonomy

are two important factors that could affect the

process of learning a language. In language

education, it's important to help students become

independent learners (Yildiz & Yucedal, 2020).

By incorporating students' real-life experiences

stages: concrete experience, reflective

observation, abstract conceptualization, and

active experimentation. Concrete experience is

the direct engagement or experience in an event

or activity such as a field trip, or hand on project.

Reflective observation students will reflect and

observe the event. Abstract generalization is

students analyze the information that got from

their experience. The last step is active

experimentation. Students apply the experiment

connected set of sensory information. This type

of learning is truly experiential, as it has a greater

impact on the student. In addition, the

Volume 12 - Issue 62

Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) has been

students learn vocabulary within a specific time

and context, it has been demonstrated that the

information is more likely to be encoded in long-

term memory and then subsequently retrieved

from episodic memory. By connecting new

vocabulary words to personal experiences and

actively engaging in the learning process through

hands-on and participatory experiences, students

are more likely to remember the information in

the future. ELT's four-stage process, which

includes concrete experience, reflective

observation, abstract conceptualization, and

Elaboration Theory is a cognitive learning theory

that suggests learners are more likely to

remember and recall new information when they

engage in elaborative encoding processes.

Elaborative encoding refers to the process of

creating meaningful associations between new

information and existing knowledge or

experiences. Elaboration theory was first

introduced by Charles Reigeluth, an educational

elaboration involves learners actively engaging

with new information and transforming it in

some way to make it more meaningful and

memorable. This can involve a variety of

strategies, such as creating associations with

other concepts, asking questions to clarify

understanding, and organizing information into

meaningful categories or hierarchies (Reigeluth

& Stiein, 1983).

rather than simply acquiring it passively.

Elaboration theory has been applied in a variety

of educational contexts, including classroom

teaching, instructional design, and educational

(Wilson & Cole, 1992).

However, elaboration theory suggests that

memory is enhanced when learners actively

engage with the material they are trying to

remember. In the case of vocabulary, this means

that students are more likely to remember a word

if they can connect it to their own experiences or

knowledge, or if they can create associations

with other words or concepts (Taylor & Hamdy,

2013). This connection between new information

and prior knowledge can be achieved through

progress have made this feasible. Guidance

activities are individual-focused (Bilgin et al.,

2022). Teachers' biggest challenge is keeping

students' attention therefore to connect new

information with prior knowledge, teachers can

use several strategies (Kapukaya & Yildiz,

2023). Language teachers can improve

awareness, engage language knowledge, relax,

and motivate pupils by using extracurricular

activities as warm-ups. Warm-ups can be done at

experiences to help students understand how it

applies to their lives. Third, teachers can use

in terms of something familiar to students.

Fourth, teachers can break down new

information into smaller, more manageable

pieces that build on students' prior knowledge.

Finally, teachers can provide opportunities for

students to reflect on what they have learned and

how it connects to their prior knowledge, which

theory both support the idea that students'

episodic memory can be enhanced when learning

vocabulary. Experiential learning theory (ELT)

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emphasizes the importance of connecting new

observation, abstract conceptualization, and

active experimentation, students are more likely

to remember the information. ELT has been

shown to enhance episodic memory, particularly

in the recall of vocabulary.

Elaboration theory suggests that memory is

enhanced when learners actively engage with the

material they are trying to remember. For

vocabulary, this means that students are more

likely to remember a word if they can connect it

to their own experiences or knowledge, or if they

Teaching new concepts using students' prior

knowledge improves engagement and critical

thinking. Learning requires building on prior

knowledge (Yildiz & Celik, 2020).

Both theories suggest that students need to be

actively engaged in the learning process to

enhance their episodic memory of vocabulary.

This can be achieved by incorporating real-life

experiences into the classroom, using interactive

In conclusion, experiential learning theory and

elaboration theory both offer valuable insights

into how students' episodic memory can be

enhanced to recall vocabulary. These theories

emphasize the importance of active engagement,

personal experience, and meaningful

connections between new information and prior

knowledge. By incorporating these principles

into teaching practices, educators can enhance

and elaboration provide valuable insights into

how to enhance students' episodic memory for

vocabulary recall. Episodic and semantic

memory play a crucial role in learning and

personal experience, and meaningful

connections between new information and prior

knowledge in the learning process.

To improve students' episodic memory for

vocabulary recall, educators can incorporate

pedagogical practices based on experiential

learning theory and elaboration theory. These

practices may include connecting new words and

concepts to personal experiences, using

interactive multimedia tools, and encouraging

the creation of associations with prior

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