摘要：Recently, electronic texts have become dominant in the academic world. This study examined the impact of three different combinations of electronic gloss components on vocabulary retention. More specifically, it tried to determine which of the combinations of electronic gloss components (only definition; definition + translation; and definition + translation + picture) had a greater influence on vocabulary recall. Participants consisted of 120 foreign language learners of English enrolled in a language program at an Iranian Language Institute. 60 learners attended elementary courses in four classes and 60 others were intermediate level learners forming four other classes. The participants received 5 hours of classroom instruction per week in a computer lab. They also completed two screening vocabulary tests: one immediately after the class and a delayed test after three weeks. The results showed a significant difference between the three experimental groups who received different types of glosses and control group who did not receive any types of glosses on both immediate and delayed tests. In addition, there was a significant difference among the three experimental groups who received different kinds of glosses. These findings confirm the results of the previous studies on the beneficial role of glosses on L2 vocabulary acquisition, and they point to the pedagogical advantages of using electronic glosses in language programs.
