Learning word pairs and glossed sentences: the effects of a single context on vocabulary knowledge

Abstract

Previous research investigating the effects of contextualized and decontextualized tasks on vocabulary learning has focused on whether or not learners were able to gain knowledge of meaning and form. To date, research has generated little evidence indicating that context facilitates vocabulary learning. Decontextualized tasks tend to be equally or more effective than contextualized tasks at promoting knowledge of meaning and form. However, aspects of knowledge that would seem more likely to be gained through learning from context have rarely been measured. The present study examined the effects of context on grammatical functions, syntagmatic association, paradigmatic association, orthography, and meaning and form. Japanese EFL students learned target words in word pairs and a single glossed sentence. To measure the effects of each task on vocabulary learning each target word was tested in 10 different ways. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the scores of subjects who met target words in a single glossed sentence and those who learned word pairs. This suggests that a single glossed sentence context may have little effect on vocabulary knowledge. The effects each task had on the different aspects of vocabulary knowledge are discussed in detail.