Learning Words From Books: The Effects of Read-Aloud on Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition

Abstract

This study compares the gains made in second language vocabulary as a direct result of different literacy lessons implementing two bilingual methodologies: concurrent translation and preview-review. Students in the three randomly selected third-grade classes in the Los Angeles area were chosen to serve as the control (no treatment), concurrent translation, and preview-review groups. The children were given a pre test to assess their knowledge of selected vocabulary items. After the administration of the pre-test students in Group 1 (control) listened to a story in English with no intervention or explanation of the story. Students in Group 2 listened to the same story in English with the reader using the concurrent method (translating the story from one language to the other). Group 3 heard the same story in English after having the teacher build background knowledge by previewing important points and difficult vocabulary in Spanish (preview). They also reviewed the story in Spanish after the reading in order to reinforce important points (review). All three groups were given a post test of the same vocabulary items after the treatment and one week later to examine gains in scores. Results indicate that not only did the students in the preview-review group score significantly higher than the control and concurrent translation groups, the concurrent translation group scored the lowest of all three groups and improved slightly one week after treatment. These findings demonstrate positive implications for the use of strategies which build background knowledge as a means of teaching second language vocabulary to English learners.