The Effect of Number and Presentation Order of High-Constraint Sentences on Second Language Word Learning.

Tengfei Ma,Baoguo Chen,Susan Dunlap,Ran Chen

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01396

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experiment that investigated the effects of number and presentation order of high-constraint sentences on semantic processing of unknown second language (L2) words (pseudowords) through reading. All participants were Chinese native speakers who learned English as a foreign language. In the experiment, sentence constraint and order of different constraint sentences were manipulated in English sentences, as well as L2 proficiency level of participants. We found that the number of high-constraint sentences was supportive for L2 word learning except in the condition in which high-constraint exposure was presented first. Moreover, when the number of high-constraint sentences was the same, learning was significantly better when the first exposure was a high-constraint exposure. And no proficiency level effects were found. Our results provided direct evidence that L2 word learning benefited from high quality language input and first presentations of high quality language input.

Highlights

Reading is an important way of word learning for adults, especially for adults who are learning a second language (L2) (Pitts et al, 1989; Horst et al, 1998; Zahar et al, 2001; Tekmen and Daloglu, 2006; Berwick et al, 2013; Elgort and Warren, 2014)
In studies that explored L2 word learning through reading, some researchers argued that L2 learners need many encounters to learn a word (Horst et al, 1998; Zahar et al, 2001; Waring and Takaki, 2003; Tekmen and Daloglu, 2006; Webb, 2008; Pellicer-Sánchez and Schmitt, 2010), a topic of importance is how many encounters are needed for L2 learners to learn a new word
The results demonstrated that adult native speakers could rapidly integrate information about word meaning into their mental lexicons by reading high constraint sentences

Summary

Introduction

Reading is an important way of word learning for adults, especially for adults who are learning a second language (L2) (Pitts et al, 1989; Horst et al, 1998; Zahar et al, 2001; Tekmen and Daloglu, 2006; Berwick et al, 2013; Elgort and Warren, 2014). In studies that explored L2 word learning through reading, some researchers argued that L2 learners need many encounters to learn a word (Horst et al, 1998; Zahar et al, 2001; Waring and Takaki, 2003; Tekmen and Daloglu, 2006; Webb, 2008; Pellicer-Sánchez and Schmitt, 2010), a topic of importance is how many encounters are needed for L2 learners to learn a new word. Horst et al (1998) suggested at least 8 encounters are needed for their 34 Sudan-English participants who read The Mayor of Casterbridge to learn novel words. Webb (2007) suggested more than 10 encounters are needed for English learners from Japan to learn novel words by reading sentences from Oxford

Objectives

Results

Conclusion