Mnemonic Devices in ESL Teaching: Performance Improvement of Portuguese-Native Students

This study investigates whether a multimedia mnemonic intervention, designed with cognitive and information design principles, improves the retention of irregular English verbs among adult ESL learners. Using a within-subject pre-post design, participants completed two identical Wordwall memory tests (15 multiple-choice items) separated by a minimum 24-hour interval. Between tests, learners viewed a 5 min 10 s edited music video based on The Beatles’ A Day in the Life, enriched with visual cues to support semantic encoding and dual coding. From 26 volunteers initially contacted, 24 participants (B2-C1; ages 25-55) completed both tests and were analyzed. Mean error rates decreased from 32% to 24% (25% relative reduction), with stronger gains in the in-person subgroup (35% to 20%) than in the remote subgroup (31% to 25%). Mean completion time also decreased from 3-33 to 2-20 (34.3% reduction). These results suggest that well-designed audiovisual mnemonics, combined with an accessible testing interface, can support short-term retention and fluency in irregular-verb learning. Limitations include a small convenience sample and the absence of delayed follow-up beyond 24 hours, which future studies should address.