The Effect of the 4-3-2 Strategy on Iranian Students’ Vocabulary Learning and Retention

Jangalban, Amir Mohammad; Davoudi, Mohammad

doi:10.22080/iselt.2026.29037.1095

The Effect of the 4-3-2 Strategy on Iranian Students’ Vocabulary Learning and Retention

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of English Language and Literature, Hakim Sabzevari University, Khorasan, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Hakim Sabzevari University Sabzevar, Iran.

10.22080/iselt.2026.29037.1095

Abstract

While extensive research has been conducted on the pedagogical efficacy of 4/3/2 activities—characterized by increasing time pressure during task repetition—in enhancing second language (L2) fluency and accuracy, their impact on vocabulary development remains underexplored. To address this gap, the current study investigates the effects of the 4/3/2 activity on vocabulary acquisition and retention. The study followed a quasi-experimental design that involved 30 intermediate-level students, who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Participants in the experimental group engaged in a monologue task repeated three times under progressively increasing time constraints (4 → 3 → 2 minutes), while those in the control group were required to incorporate target vocabulary into sentences (conventional method). For analyzing the data, an independent t-test was implemented. Overall, the statistical analysis indicated that no significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups in both the posttest and delayed posttest stages. While both groups improved after instruction, and both showed some decline in the delayed posttest, the 4-3-2 technique did not lead to significantly better outcomes in vocabulary learning or retention compared to the traditional method used with the control group. This finding implies that to increase the efficiency of 4-3-2 for vocabulary learning and retention, it will be better if instructors mix this technique with other vocabulary strategies in their classrooms.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by the Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages at the University of Mazandaran. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

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