Abstract
Structural elaboration, i.e. increased attention to word-form, can aid an L2 learner in retrieving the form of a newly learned word (Barcroft, 2002), which is crucial for language production. However, the possibilities for developing meaningful interactions with the form of new words are rather limited. Previous research has proposed word writing as a structural elaboration technique (e.g. Candry, Elgort, Deconinck, & Eyckmans, 2017; Eyckmans, Stengers, & Deconinck, 2017) and has demonstrated that word writing promotes L2 word-form retrieval as compared to a semantically elaborative condition (Candry et al., 2017; Elgort, Candry, Boutorwick, Eyckmans, & Brysbaert, 2016). The advantage of word writing with reference to other structurally elaborative conditions has not been investigated yet. Therefore, the present study compared a written repetition condition with a condition in which learners said the new L2 vocabulary out loud repeatedly. 67 Dutch-speaking learners of German learned 24 unknown German words in one of these two conditions or a control condition. Both immediate and delayed measures of word knowledge were administered. The results showed that immediate form recall is marginally better when words are learned through written repetition than through oral repetition, though this advantage disappeared after one week. When it comes to meaning recall and implicit word knowledge, no differences between the two conditions were observed.
Highlights
In L2 vocabulary learning, the ultimate goal for learners is to be able to use the new vocabulary productively
The results showed that immediate form recall is marginally better when words are learned through written repetition than through oral repetition, though this advantage disappeared after one week
Learning effects of the three conditions We observe that the writing condition yields the highest immediate form recall percentages, both for strict and partial form recall, followed by oral repetition and the control condition, the difference between these two conditions is negligible
Summary
In L2 vocabulary learning, the ultimate goal for learners is to be able to use the new vocabulary productively. In order to facilitate this process, research has shown that it is helpful for learners to pay attention to the form of the word, i.e. to engage in structural elaboration (Barcroft, 2002). One method for directing a learner’s attention to word-form is by requiring the learner to write the target word down. Previous research has demonstrated that doing so results in superior word learning compared to prompting the learner to focus on word meaning (Candry et al, 2017; Elgort et al, 2016). The question remains whether writing words down by hand will result in better retention of L2 vocabulary if the method is compared to another method for structural elaboration
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