← Spaced RepetitionOutside the session

Vocabulary that stays usable

Recognition is not enough. Words need to remain available for production, use, and transfer.

Key findings

  1. 01

    Long-term vocabulary retention is real. Longitudinal work shows durable gains when vocabulary is relearned at spaced intervals, even years later.

  2. 02

    In second-language learning specifically, meta-analytic evidence supports spaced practice over massed practice, with important moderators around test timing, task type, and schedule.

  3. 03

    Expanding versus equal spacing is not settled, but the practical lesson is clear: introducing spacing matters more than perfecting the exact shape of the schedule.

  4. 04

    There is direct experimental evaluation of technology-mediated spaced repetition for vocabulary instruction, which supports the method as something testable in real tools.

  5. 05

    For professional non-native speakers, prompts should move beyond definition recall into usage, production, and application so words become available in conversation.

References

5 sources
  1. 1.

    Retention of Spanish vocabulary over 8 years (1987). doi: 10.1037/0278-7393.13.2.344.

  2. 2.

    Effects of spaced practice on second language learning: meta-analysis (2022). Language Learning. doi: 10.1111/lang.12479.

  3. 3.

    Effects of expanding and equal spacing on second-language vocabulary learning (2015).

  4. 4.

    Double-blind study evaluating a spaced repetition CALL tool for vocabulary (2016).

  5. 5.

    Retrieval practice over the long term: expanding vs equal-interval (2014). doi: 10.3758/s13423-014-0636-z.