Schema Theory and Language Acquisition: Justification for the Implementation of a Spiral Syllabus

Abstract

In the realm of foreign language education, most educational institutions’ syllabi and textbooks organize content in a linear fashion, moving from topic to topic. By nature of having disparate topics, the vocabulary and grammar can vary widely with little overlap beyond the most frequently used words of a language. While the linear approach may be suitable for learning topics in one’s first language (L1) since a rich linguistic schematic network has already been built, in the case of EFL students, this approach is flawed due to students’ lack of meaningful exposure and practice of the target language/vocabulary outside of the classroom, and as a result, second language (L2) learners forget much of the vocabulary that is studied. A different approach, via using a spiral syllabus, is proposed to teach L2 learners, which may build a richer schematic network and consequently strengthen long-term memory. In this interpretative analysis, the relationship between schema theory, memory, and its application to second language learning is explored. Justified by the theoretical research of schema theory and empirical studies of spaced repetition systems, a proposal for a spiral syllabus and the need for further research in this area is described.