BACKGROUND TO LINKWORD

The method of learning used with the Linkword© courses - the method of association -
is an ancient technique which goes back to the Greeks. Its application to foreign
language learning, however, was not scientifically investigated by psychologists until
the 1970's. In one of the earliest studies, it was found that using the method increased
the retention of Spanish words from 28% to 88%.

The present Linkword© CD Rom courses use the Linkword© Method, together with highly efficient testing patterns, to teach an extended targeted vocabulary as well as beginner's grammar and sentence construction in just 10 - 12 hours - a rate far faster than normal rote learning can achieve. The author has published a number of studies which show how fast and easy people find it to use the courses. One study (see below) showed that elderly individuals could learn Spanish vocabulary much more effectively than with rote learning. Another study (see below) showed that school children acquired a Spanish vocabulary about three times greater with the Linkword© course than with ordinary teaching. A third study showed that even individuals with poor language ability benefited from the method.

PUBLICATIONS

M.M. GRUNEBERG AND G.C. JACOBS (1991). In Defense of Linkword©.
The Language Learning Journal,3,25-29.

M.M. GRUNEBERG AND K. PASCOE.(1996)
The Effectiveness of the Keyword Method for Receptive and Productive Foreign Vocabulary
Learning in the Elderly. Contemporary Educational Psychology 21,102-109 A.BEATON,

M.M. GRUNEBERG AND N.ELLIS (1995). Retention of Foreign Language Vocabulary Using
the Keyword Method: A Ten Year Follow -Up. Second language Research,11,112-120