Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning Research Articles

The impact of emotionally competent stimuli on language lexis retention

The objective of this study was to determine whether or not positive emotional stimuli enhance the learning of new foreign language vocabulary among learners with different learning styles. The stimuli were presented in English classes to the experimental group for eight weeks. Vocabulary knowledge was tested in the control and experimental groups before and after the intervention. Participants’ learning styles were detected by a validated questionnaire. The findings revealed an increase of vocabulary knowledge among all participants, with nearly double the improvement in the experimental group. The highest vocabulary increase was detected among learners with a musical learning style.

Twelve- and Fourteen-Year-Old School Children Differentially Benefit from Sensorimotor- and Multisensory-Enriched Vocabulary Training

Both children and adults have been shown to benefit from the integration of multisensory and sensorimotor enrichment into pedagogy. For example, integrating pictures or gestures into foreign language (L2) vocabulary learning can improve learning outcomes relative to unisensory learning. However, whereas adults seem to benefit to a greater extent from sensorimotor enrichment such as the performance of gestures in contrast to multisensory enrichment with pictures, this is not the case in elementary school children. Here, we compared multisensory- and sensorimotor-enriched learning in an intermediate age group that falls between the age groups tested in previous studies (elementary school children and young adults), in an attempt to determine the developmental time point at which children’s responses to enrichment mature from a child-like pattern into an adult-like pattern. Twelve-year-old and fourteen-year-old German children were trained over 5 consecutive days on auditorily presented, concrete and abstract, Spanish vocabulary. The vocabulary was learned under picture-enriched, gesture-enriched, and non-enriched (auditory-only) conditions. The children performed vocabulary recall and translation tests at 3 days, 2 months, and 6 months post-learning. Both picture and gesture enrichment interventions were found to benefit children’s L2 learning relative to non-enriched learning up to 6 months post-training. Interestingly, gesture-enriched learning was even more beneficial than picture-enriched learning for the 14-year-olds, while the 12-year-olds benefitted equivalently from learning enriched with pictures and gestures. These findings provide evidence for opting to integrate gestures rather than pictures into L2 pedagogy starting at 14 years of age.

Influence of digital services of infographics on effectiveness of mnemonics when teaching foreign language vocabulary

The problem and the aim. Modern linguodidactics pays special attention to identifying the role of vocabulary in learning a foreign language, determining strategies for learning foreign language vocabulary, finding methods for testing vocabulary, mastering the vocabulary of scientific discourse, using mnemonics in memorizing lexical norms. New training formats necessitate the use of information visualization technologies and digital means in the study of a foreign language. The purpose of the study is to identify and confirm effectiveness of using digital services of infographics in mnemonics to improve the quality of teaching foreign language vocabulary. Research methods. Digital tools for data visualization are used in the system of mnemonic operations (grouping, classification, structuring, systematization, analogy, association, repetition) and methods (rhyme, association, mnemonics, chain method, memory cards, mnemonic cards). Infographic services support semantisation of lexical material and its activation, explanation of rules, situational illustration, and foreign language communication. A special test is developed, it includes questions on English vocabulary and assignments based on the methodology of A.R. Luria. Auxiliary visualization methods are used: data design in the form of mind maps, tables, charts, graphs. The experiment involved 30 students of the training program Pedagogical education (Bachelor's programme) of Vyatka State University. WordArt is used as a digital service of infographics. Statistical processing of the results is performed using the nonparametric method - Wilcoxon's T-test. Results. Students learn digital infographic services, use them to study new lexical material, memorize and present concepts/terms, set expressions, and combine familiar lexical elements in a variety of contexts. Statistical assessment of the reliability of positive dynamics of students' skills to recognize words, understand lexical units, to construct new phrases was carried out Temp <Tcrit0.05 (45<107). In conclusion rules and conditions, implementation of which ensures effectiveness of using digital services of infographics in mnemonics to improve quality of teaching a foreign language, are summarized.

Effects of the Continuation Task and the RCC Task on Japanese as a Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

Abstract This study examined the effects of the continuation task and the reading plus continued cloze (RCC) task on Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) vocabulary learning with a view to shedding fresh light on the relationship among depth of processing, interaction, alignment, and learning effects. Three classes of beginning-level JFL learners were randomly assigned to a continuation group, a RCC group, and a control group. A meaning recall test and an oral form recall test were used to gauge vocabulary learning gains. It was found that (i) both tasks led to significant immediate and long-term gains on both the oral form test and the meaning test and (ii) the continuation task showed superiority over the RCC task in promoting JFL vocabulary learning. Implications of these results for JFL vocabulary teaching are discussed.

Exploring systematic orthographic crosslinguistic similarities to enhance foreign language vocabulary learning

This study explores whether middle-school students can exploit explicitly addressed crosslinguistic lexical similarities between German and English to learn vocabulary more efficiently. Across six weeks, 260 Swiss German learners of English as a foreign language (17 classes) completed three vocabulary learning tests (T1, T2 and T3). Additionally, 7 of these 17 classes attended a 90-minute intervention between the first and second test: During a 45-minute introductory lesson students discovered four systematic orthographic correspondence rules (e.g. <p> to <f> as in ship and Schiff), followed by three 15-minute sessions to consolidate their knowledge. The intervention group’s improvement in cognate learning was significantly larger in comparison to the control group. The difference was observed across both test modes and all rules introduced. While learners’ initial English vocabulary size correlated with their overall performance, it did not affect intervention uptake. This suggests that these younger learners benefitted from form-focused instruction, independent of proficiency and type of correspondence.

A review of vocabulary learning applications: From the aspects of cognitive approaches, multimedia input, learning materials, and game elements

In recent years, mobile applications (apps) have been increasingly used and investigated as a vocabulary learning approach. Despite the extensive use of commercial English as a Foreign Language (EFL) vocabulary learning apps in China, there is a lack of a review of these apps for a systematic understanding of the components and usefulness of app-assisted vocabulary learning. To fill this knowledge gap, this study presents a systematic review of 15 EFL vocabulary learning apps that were most downloaded in China, focusing on how these apps help students develop word knowledge. The results of this study showed that most apps enabled students to access word knowledge through translating words into their native language. Notably, word knowledge was usually presented through text-plus-image and text-plus-image-plus-audio. Most of these mobile apps provided sentence examples as vocabulary learning materials. Many of these apps were integrated with game elements, especially in interactivity or feedback systems and reward systems. Based on the review results, we have provided three recommendations to vocabulary learning app developers concerning the use of video for the input of word knowledge, the efficiency of vocabulary learning, and the integration of more game elements.

Using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to promote long-term foreign language vocabulary learning

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was used to improve foreign-langue learning while using mental imagery. Participants underwent two sessions of 1 mA, 1.5 mA, or sham stimulation prior to learning Swahili-English word pairs two consecutive days. During learning, participants were encouraged to create a mental image of the associated English word. Twenty-four hours after learning and one week later, participants received a cued recall test. A linear dose–response effect of stimulation was found across both tests that occurred long after the immediate effects of stimulation. Follow-up comparisons revealed that only the 1.5 mA condition differed from the sham group. Exploratory moderating effects revealed interactions with sleep quality and handedness. Those with poorer sleep and who were left-handed showed greater recall after 1.5 mA of stimulation than those with better sleep and right-handers. A follow-up behavioral study probing strategy usage indicated that mental imagery strategy use did not strongly impact learning but point to other possible mechanisms including the importance of attending to multimodal perceptual details and memory consolidation. This preliminary evidence supports the role of the DLPFC or connected regions in foreign language vocabulary learning and verbal memory encoding.

Receptive Vocabulary Acquisition in Pre-Primary Education through Soft-Content and Language Integrated Learning

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has become the focus of Foreign Language (FL) research within the last decades. CLIL provides a more complete, naturalistic, and meaningful context to FL learning, which has proven to brings many benefits to learners, such as a higher motivation and promotion of creativity, and better results in receptive skills, vocabulary, morphology and fluency. Nevertheless, most CLIL research has focused on primary and secondary level students and, thus, more research is needed with younger learners, namely, pre-primary students. The present study examines the learning of FL vocabulary in pre-primary learners following a soft-CLIL program, as compared to their same age peers following Formal Instruction (FI) of English. Over the course of six months, pre-primary students of two grades, namely 4- and 5-year-old students (N=155), took part in such program, aiming at teaching two curricular preschool units, traditionally taught in the mother tongue (L1), in English in the FL sessions. A longitudinal study was conducted, and students were administered a general vocabulary level pre-test, as well as a target words receptive vocabulary post-test after the two units had been worked on. The focus of the research was on receptive vocabulary acquisition, but age and word frequency effects were also analyzed. Results showed positive tendencies in receptive vocabulary development through soft-CLIL, although not statistically significant. A significant frequency effect was found, indicating that high-frequency words are recalled more easily than lower-frequency ones, but no significant differences were found when comparing learners from the two grades.

Seeing or acting? The effect of performing gestures on foreign language vocabulary learning

We evaluate the impact of gestures during the teaching of vocabulary in a foreign language (FL). Spanish speakers learned words in a FL in four gesture conditions according to the relationship between the meaning of the words and the gestures (congruent gestures, incongruent gestures, gestures without meaning, and no gestures). The participants learned the words by performing gestures (‘do’ teaching group) or by observing the gestures performed by others (‘see’ teaching group). Compared to the meaningless gesture condition, the processing of congruent gestures facilitated the recall of second language (L2) words in the ‘see’ and ‘do’ teaching groups. However, the interference effect associated with the processing of incongruent gestures was greater in the ‘see’ teaching group than in the ‘do’ teaching group. Thus, the performance of gestures seems to mitigate the negative impact that the use of gestures may have on the teaching of vocabulary in a foreign language.

The Impact of Mobile Technology on Vocabulary Learning of L2 Learners : The Case of WhatsApp Application

Mobile technologies are receiving an increasing attention within diverse educational contexts. However, the scope of research on the affordances various mobile technologies provide to learning outcomes is still limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using WhatsApp application on vocabulary learning of Iranian EFL learners. Twenty-six female EFL learners at preintermediate level of proficiency were selected through convenience sampling to participate in the study. A vocabulary test was utilized for ensuring the homogeneity of the learners and then the participants were divided into two experimental (N = 13) and control (N = 13) groups, followed by assessing their vocabulary knowledge. Then, the 14-session treatment began, which included teaching new words using WhatsApp in the experimental group and traditional face-to-face method in the control group. At the end of the course, a vocabulary post–test was administered to both groups. Additionally, an attitude questionnaire was administrated to both groups for examining their attitude towards using WhatsApp and the traditional vocabulary learning method. The results indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group. In addition, it was revealed that the learners who used WhatsApp for enhancing their vocabulary skill had a more positive attitude toward foreign language vocabulary learning as compared to the other group. The implications of the study for mobile-assisted vocabulary learning are discussed.

Instructor Presence in Video Lectures: Preliminary Findings From an Online Experiment

Motivation. Despite the widespread use of video lectures in online and blended learning environments, there is still debate whether the presence of an instructor in the video helps or hinders learning. According to social agency theory , seeing the instructor makes learners believe that s/he is personally teaching them, which leads to deeper cognitive processing and, in turn, better learning outcomes. Conversely, according to cognitive load theory , adding an image of the instructor may hinder attention engagement with lecture content due to split-attention effect. Not only are theoretical propositions conflicting, but so is the empirical evidence as well. Objective. This study investigates the effects of the presence of the instructor’s face in the corner of an educational video on learning outcomes, perceived cognitive load, and perceived social presence in the context of foreign language vocabulary learning. Method. In an online quasi-controlled experiment with between-subject design, 112 participants were randomly assigned to view a 10-min-long educational video in one of two conditions: instructor-present or instructor-absent. As for the latter condition, the face was shown only at the introduction of the presentation. Afterwards, participants completed a retention test as well as a cognitive load and social presence questionnaire. Results. No significant differences were found for any dependent variable. Conclusion. Individuals differ so much in their language aptitude as well as motivation to perform well that random assignment is probably not enough to ensure balanced groups in this particular study context. Besides, the approach that we used to measure cognitive load as well as social presence is not suited for between-subject design, even though it was previously used in such settings.

THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF GENERAL SCHOOL PUPILS’ COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS

The study was conducted within the All-Ukrainian research project: “The psychological principles of innovative technologies for personal development” on the basis of Kyiv-Pechersk Lyceum № 171 “Leader” (Order of the Ministry of Education and Science No 414 dated April 9, 2015). The study object: pupils’ communicative skills. The study purpose: to study experimentally the development of communicative skills of middle-age school pupils. The article describes the study principles and methodological approaches and substantiates the genetic modeling method used as the main study method. To achieve the study purpose and empirical objectives, the following standardized psychological techniques were used: the method examining poly-communicative empathy (M. Yusupov) to determine pupils’ empathic tendencies; the method examining communicative control (M. Schneider) to determine pupil’s communicative control; the method studying pupils’ communicative qualities (“Need for Communication” by O.M. Orlov) to determine development of pupils’ need for communication; “Examining emotional barriers in interpersonal communication” (VV Boyko) to determine the existing emotional barriers in pupils’ interpersonal communication. The study results: psychological features influencing development of communicative skills, in particular, pupils’ empathic tendencies, their communicative control, communicative needs (communicative qualities) and existing emotional barriers to communication were identified. The correlations among the named components of the studied system were revealed. There were no significant differences between the pupils from the experimental group (Kyiv-Pechersk Lyceum No 171 “Leader”) and the pupils from the control group (Klovsky Lyceum). This means that the obtained results can be applied to pupils from general school of any form. The revealed influence and mutual influence of the described indicators of communicative skills testify to their interdependence and complementarities. The development of one indicator reinforces other indicators and vice versa. The psychological features of communicative skills identified in the article can become the basis for a psychological and pedagogical program that develops general school pupils’ communicative skills, in particular during English lessons. Further research should include development of a psychological and pedagogical program that takes into account the identified psychological features to form of general school pupils’ communicative skills during learning foreign language vocabulary.

Using Day and Night – Scheduling Retrieval Practice and Sleep

Sleep right after studying new material is more conducive to memory than a period of wakefulness. Another way to counteract forgetting is to practice retrieval: taking a test strengthens memory more effectively than restudying the material. The current work aims at investigating the interaction between sleep and testing by asking if testing adds to, neutralizes, or decreases the effect of sleep on memory? We tested this in one pilot and one experiment by manipulating the timing of the practice test as well as whether practice was followed by sleep or wakefulness when learning foreign language vocabulary. Taking a delayed practice test significantly reduces forgetting for both the sleep and the wakefulness group. An immediate practice test, in contrast, had no such effect; here we find the standard beneficial sleep effect. However, the immediate practice test leads to higher recall in the final test in comparison to a delayed practice test, but only for the sleep group. Practical recommendations imply two things: first, if students study in the evening, they should test themselves immediately after learning. Second, if students study during the day the practice test should be delayed in order to reinforce memory and reduce forgetting of the material.

The effects of language and emotionality of stimuli on vocabulary learning.

Learning new content and vocabulary in a foreign language can be particularly difficult. Yet, there are educational programs that require people to study in a language they are not native speakers of. For this reason, it is important to understand how these learning processes work and possibly differ from native language learning, as well as to develop strategies to ease this process. The current study takes advantage of emotionality-operationally defined as positive valence and high arousal-to improve memory. In two experiments, the present paper addresses whether participants have more difficulty learning the names of objects they have never seen before in their foreign language and whether embedding them in a positive semantic context can help make learning easier. With this in mind, we had participants (with a minimum of a B2 level of English) in two experiments (43 participants in Experiment 1 and 54 in Experiment 2) read descriptions of made-up objects-either positive or neutral and either in their native or a foreign language. The effects of language varied with the difficulty of the task and measure used. In both cases, learning the words in a positive context improved learning. Importantly, the effect of emotionality was not modulated by language, suggesting that the effects of emotionality are independent of language and could potentially be a useful tool for improving foreign language vocabulary learning.

Rethinking bilingual enhancement effects in associative learning of foreign language vocabulary: The role of proficiency in the mediating language

The present study investigated claims that learning vocabulary in an unfamiliar language is more efficient in bilinguals than in monolinguals and the possible effects of language proficiency and dominance. In Experiment 1, monolingual (n = 48) and bilingual participants (n = 96) learned Japanese words paired with English translations and completed cued-recall and associative-recognition tests. Accuracy did not differ across monolingual and bilingual or language dominance groups. Nevertheless, in bilinguals, higher English proficiency was associated with higher accuracy. In Experiment 2, Japanese-English bilinguals (n = 40) learned Spanish-Japanese word pairs, and higher Japanese proficiency was associated with higher accuracy. Associative strategies were reported at a higher rate in bilingual than in monolingual participants but were not associated with more accurate performance. Careful comparisons of the present and previous results support the conclusion that higher proficiency in the language through which bilinguals learn foreign vocabulary enhances associative memory, but bilingualism itself does not.

VIRTUAL REALITY IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY TEACHING: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON AFFECT IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

ABSTRACT The evaluative studies of hypermedia effects on second language acquisition have been mostly applied to interfaces whose user’s input is limited to clicks, typed texts, and voice. Nonetheless, virtual reality (VR) technology expanded user’s interactions with a data processing machine since it explores a sense of presence through body language, 360-degrees images, and tactile techniques. It is in this context that this paper approaches VR to explore its potential for foreign language vocabulary teaching and learning, considering mainly the appraisal mechanisms novelty and pleasantness proposed by Schumann (1999). This exploratory research presents the preparation and the results of a study applied to sixteen undergraduate English students at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil, as well as to nine students from the author’s one private course. The technology used in this study were three Google products: Cardboard™, as the VR headset; Expeditions, for the narrative; and Polly, for the building of the VR scenes. The following methodological actions were addressed to the participants of the study: an English placement test; vocabulary tests; exposure to the virtual environment, a guided visit to Museo Frida Kahlo, in Mexico; and a questionnaire on the evaluation of the experience. At the theoretical level, the present study is based on the assumptions of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (MAYER, 2001) and in the role of affect in language learning (SCHUMANN, 1997; 1999). The results of vocabulary tests, the questionnaire, and limitations of the technology are discussed, giving a basis for the conclusion that VR can significantly contribute to foreign language vocabulary teaching and learning since the technology has the potential to motivate students and immerse them into real-life-like scenarios.

An Algorithm for Automatic Collation of Vocabulary Decks Based on Word Frequency

This study focuses on computer based foreign language vocabulary learning systems. Our objective is to automatically build vocabulary decks with desired levels of relative difficulty relations. To realize this goal, we exploit the fact that word frequency is a good indicator of vocabulary difficulty. Subsequently, for composing the decks, we pose two requirements as uniformity and diversity. Namely, the difficulty level of the cards in the same deck needs to be uniform enough so that they can be grouped together and difficulty levels of the cards in different decks need to be diverse enough so that they can be grouped in different decks. To assess uniformity and diversity, we use rank-biserial correlation and propose an iterative algorithm, which helps in attaining desired levels of uniformity and diversity based on word frequency in daily use of language. In experiments, we employed a spaced repetition flashcard software and presented users various decks built with the proposed algorithm, which contain cards from different content types. From users' activity logs, we derived several behavioral variables and examined the polyserial correlation between these variables and difficulty levels across different word classes. This analysis confirmed that the decks compiled with the proposed algorithm induce an effect on behavioral variables in line with the expectations. In addition, a series of experiments with decks involving varying content types confirmed that this relation is independent of word class.

Learning Foreign Language Vocabulary with Gestures and Pictures Enhances Vocabulary Memory for Several Months Post-Learning in Eight-Year-Old School Children

The integration of gestures and pictures into pedagogy has demonstrated potential for improving adults’ learning of foreign language (L2) vocabulary. However, the relative benefits of gestures and pictures on children’s L2 vocabulary learning have not been formally evaluated. In three experiments, we investigated the effects of gesture-based and picture-based learning on 8-year-old primary school children’s acquisition of novel L2 vocabulary. In each experiment, German children were trained over 5 consecutive days on auditorily presented, concrete and abstract, English vocabulary. In Experiments 1 and 2, gesture enrichment (auditorily presented L2 words accompanied with self-performed gestures) was compared with a non-enriched baseline condition. In Experiment 3, gesture enrichment was compared with picture enrichment (auditorily presented words accompanied with pictures). Children performed vocabulary recall and translation tests at 3 days, 2 months, and 6 months post-learning. Both gesture and picture enrichment enhanced children’s test performance compared with non-enriched learning. Benefits of gesture and picture enrichment persisted up to 6 months after training and occurred for both concrete and abstract words. Gesture-enriched learning was hypothesized to boost learning outcomes more than picture-enriched learning on the basis of previous findings in adults. Unexpectedly, however, we observed similar benefits of gesture and picture enrichment on children’s L2 learning. These findings suggest that both gestures and pictures enhance children’s L2 learning and that performance benefits are robust over long timescales.

Tecnologias digitais numa experiência de aprendizagem autónoma de léxico da língua Alemã

A aprendizagem de vocabulário na língua estrangeira é um processo que exige consolidação ao longo do tempo e as tecnologias digitais adequam-se especialmente a apoiar esse processo graças à sua vertente multimédia, à interatividade, mobilidade e flexibilidade de uso, que permitem criar recursos adequados a aprendentes com diversas necessidades e preferências. A experiência que aqui se descreve contempla recursos desenvolvidos para aprendizagem autónoma, complementar ao contexto formal da aula, que foram utilizados por estudantes de Alemão da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra. Apresentam-se a caracterização dos participantes no projeto, os dados de monitorização do uso das aplicações e os resultados dos inquéritos de avaliação do projeto. A avaliação que os alunos fazem dos recursos disponibilizados é bastante positiva, sendo valorizadas as características das ferramentas digitais utilizadas na aprendizagem autónoma.

Turkish as a foreign language learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies

Learning a foreign language includes learning vocabulary together with language rules and using language skills by means of them. Words are presented to learners through teachers and coursebooks in educational processes. Yet, it is not possible to teach all the words through lessons, so learners are expected to become independent vocabulary learners. Learners can achieve this when they know and use the vocabulary learning strategies. To be able to support them in becoming independent vocabulary learners, teachers need to determine their level of strategy use and which strategies they use and examine if these differ according to different variables. For this reason, this study aims to determine the level of Turkish as a foreign language (TFL) learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies. For this purpose, the data in this study designed by using survey model were collected from 169 students that learn TFL at A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1 levels. “Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning Strategies Scale” developed by Kocaman and Kizilkaya Cumaoglu (2014) was used as data collection tool. Frequencies, arithmetic means, and standard deviations were calculated, and t-test, ANOVA, and LSD tests were used for data analysis. As a result, the vocabulary learning strategies were identified and the level of TFL learners’ strategy use was determined. The data were tested to check if there were any statistically significant differences among variables: gender, language level, region, ancestry, and native language.