Poetry' Images as an Effective Tool for Understanding and Memorizing Vocabulary: A Case Study of EFL Students at King Khalid University

Abstract

Understanding and memorizing new vocabulary generally represent a great challenge for L2 learners who learn EFL; lacking the mentioned cognitive skills can impede the acquisition process of English as a foreign language (EFL). This research aims to illustrate and prove that visual images and mental pictures painted by means of words in poems help and assist L2 learners in understanding and memorizing the new vocabulary; consequently, those words will be unforgettable as the learners connect new words to images they already have stored away. Quantitative and qualitative methods will be adopted in this study, as the qualitative framework allows subjective explanations of the poems' samples. Data was collected via a questionnaire circulated online to 55 undergraduate EFL students of semester-7 at King Khalid University, Almajardha Campus. In addition to that, some purposive examples of imagery were selected from the poems (The Eagle& Solitary Reaper). The mentioned two poems have been taken as samples of the poetry syllabus at the Faculty of Languages and Translation (KKU) Almajardha Campus. The findings show that the majority of the students believed that Poetry imagery could be utilized as an efficient method and a fascinating tool that helps them to understand and memorize English vocabulary and lexis. Moreover, they also agreed with the significant role of poetry in enhancing and enriching their vocabulary and language skills. Whereas a minority of the respondents were unaware of the usefulness of poetry in developing and expanding their linguistic knowledge. Thus, the usage of poetry's imagery can be recommended as an effective method for teaching and expanding English vocabulary.