Volume 7-2 April 2011.

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Title
The Effect of Image Generation on Remembering Story Details in Iranian EFL learners

Author
Mahboobeh Abhaji Ezabadi (M.A.)
Iran Language Institute, Yazd, Iran.

Bio Data
Mahboobeh Abhaji Ezabadi, language teacher in Iran Language Institute, Yazd, Iran from 2009. At present, she is a lecturer at Payam Noor University and Jahad University, too. Her primary research interests concern EFL reading, and SL/FL language teaching methodology.

Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect of the construction of mental images on FL learners' ability to recall narrative passages. To carry out the investigation, 60 female students majoring in English Translation at Taft Islamic Azad University, Iran, were chosen and assigned to two groups based on the placement test results.  Students in the experimental group were directed to construct images for the story, while control subjects were instructed to "do whatever you can or have to" in order to remember the story. To analyze the obtained data, the mean and standard deviation of scores were calculated. The unpaired t-test was also done to compare the means of different groups.  Results indicated that visualizers remembered the story better, both shortly and long after reading the story.

Keywords: Imagery, Memory, Dual coding theory, Visualization, Mental imaging, L2 reading strategies, Cognitive reading strategies, Comprehension and recall of literary texts.