The purpose of this study was to examine which of the two vocabulary-learning methods non-contextualized vocabulary learning and vocabulary learning combined with semantic relations promote the learning and retention of new vocabulary items. The following research questions were asked: Which of the two above-mentioned methods best promotes the students’ vocabulary learning and word comprehension? What differences can be noted in the students’ test results regarding learning and retention of new vocabulary items between these two methods? Which method promotes the students' long-term retention of vocabulary items and word comprehension? In total, 36 students from two classes, divided into four groups, participated in the study. Each group was taught using one of the two methods. After the first round of lessons, the teaching methods were swapped such that all the students tried both methods and so that the survey could be considered reliable. The empirical material was obtained from field experiments and tests in direct connection with the lessons and retention tests four days later. The results were analyzed using Schema theory and a theory of memory processing called Executive Control Processes. These theories were used to investigate the students’ retention of vocabulary items and how students use schematic knowledge to associate words to one another. The results showed that the second method, the combined method, seemed to be the most promising not only for retention, but also for the number of learned vocabulary items and for word comprehension.

Out of the debate in Swedish media about homework, the idea for this study was born. The idea was to investigate the popular belief of many foreign language teachers which suggest that homework glossing is a necessity in the English classroom for pupils vocabulary acquisition, while other assumes this method doesn’t lead to knowledge that last. Therefore, the purpose for this study was to examine how learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) manage to learn new words when they received glossing as homework and when they studied the words in a context during class. Furthermore, out of the argument that homework stress pupils and lowers their interest and motivation for the subject, a secondary purpose was to find out pupils’ opinions about learning new words through glossing as English homework. The study was focused on two teaching methods for vocabulary acquisition: the traditional teaching method designed to teach vocabulary by giving glossing as homework, and teaching new words during class with a focus on teaching the new words in context. Through the survey of these two different methods for vocabulary learning and an empirical study with two primary school classes in which these two methods were put on test, contrary to the expectation that learning words through homework glossing wouldn’t lead to vocabulary knowledge that last, the results of the empirical study showed that the group which received glossing as homework, did better on both test than the group which studied the word in context. Similarly, the data results showed the average pupil had a positive attitude to vocabulary homework as for the most part they felt it benefited them to study this method because of the effects of learning.