Abstract
This study examined the rate at which depth of vocabulary knowledge was learned and retained from reading a 300-headword graded reader, The Star Zoo. A total of 30 tertiary-level students who learn English as a foreign language (EFL) in China volunteered to take part in a reading program. Incidental learning and retention of the depth of vocabulary knowledge was measured, complementing previous research along this line. The depth of vocabulary knowledge was examined by using 36 test items within six bands of frequency (more than 20 times to only once). The target words were substituted with pseudo-words. Two tests were employed to measure receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. This study was completed in three sessions: Students read the book for the first time and finished tests; students read the book for the second time seven days later, and finished tests; finally, retention tests were completed three months later. The findings showed that incidental vocabulary learning through reading was very limited, and this learning was largely based on a high frequency of word occurrence, that is, the higher the frequency level was, the better the learners’ word-learning was. The number of times that Chinese EFL learners needed to encounter a word to recognize vocabulary knowledge was 14 times, and at least 18 times were needed for productive vocabulary knowledge. This study shows that attention to building knowledge of known words instead of solely introducing new words should be paid, and that both word exposure frequency and elaborate word processing are important as part of successful vocabulary development. DOI: http://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2016-1603-04
Highlights
Reading is an interactive process in which while recalling life’s experiences that relate to the passage and further probing into the deeper meaning of a text, a reader’s view shifts between what he or she knows and what the text conveys
Incidental vocabulary learning refers to the acquisition of a word without the conscious intention to commit the word to memory (Hulstijn, 2013)
The results revealed that, learners did learn new words, the number of words that they learned was very limited and the learning of most of the new words was the result of repeated exposure to target words or higher frequencies of occurrence
Summary
Reading is an interactive process in which while recalling life’s experiences that relate to the passage and further probing into the deeper meaning of a text, a reader’s view shifts between what he or she knows and what the text conveys. Of all the reading materials available, graded readers have been the most useful for EFL vocabulary learning as the material was written which included most-frequent words (Hill, 2013). With regard to the relationship between reading and incidental vocabulary learning, there has been much research supporting the premise that vocabulary could be learned gradually through repeated exposure to target words (e.g., Day, Omura & Hiramatsu, 1991; Horst, 2005; Webb, 2008; Webb, Newton & Chang, 2013). Paribakht and Wesche (1997) pointed out that the process of incidental vocabulary learning was time-consuming and inefficient, they were stating that there was still room for probing into the unsolved issue of incidental vocabulary learning (Schmitt, 1998). One of the worthy points addressed in researching the relationship between incidental vocabulary learning and ISSN: 1675-8021
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
