Target Vocabulary Items Research Articles

A comparison of the effects of web-based vocabulary instruction vs. the conventional method on EFL learners' level of L2 lexical knowledge

Web-based training is a contemporary approach acknowledged as a proficient pedagogical strategy for imparting knowledge on L2 lexical items. The objective of this study was to investigate if the utilisation of web-based activities for teaching vocabulary items yields distinct outcomes in terms of acquisition and retention of L2 lexical items, as opposed to conventional procedures. Sixty university students at an intermediate level of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) were purposefully chosen for this study. These participants were then divided into two separate groups. The participants in the experimental group received instruction on the target vocabulary items in a computer-supported classroom. In this setting, they could practice the lexical items interactively through web-based activities. On the other hand, the control group was given the exact target words using traditional instruction methods to maintain consistency. However, students in the control group did not have the opportunity to engage with the dynamic and active nature of the web-based instructional environment. The findings of the study, which involved the administration of the Vocabulary Levels Test and subsequent analysis utilising tests and Analysis of Variance, revealed that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners saw more improvement in their acquisition of second language (L2) lexical items when taught through web-based activities compared to traditional teaching methods. The implications of the data suggest that L2 teachers can enhance their teaching method by including web-based and online activities to educate students on how to acquire new vocabulary items effectively.

Exposure to Target Language Vocabulary through Novel Extracts and Computer Game Cutscenes

Following Richards’s (2015) ideas of using movie clips, videos, and games as valuable technological tools for language learning, the present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using novel extracts and computer game cutscenes based on the same story to develop the vocabulary knowledge of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with a control group and an experimental group. Initially, both groups studied a target vocabulary list of 20 words and their definitions. The participants were asked to complete a multiple-choice definition matching test after studying the list to find out whether their levels of vocabulary knowledge were comparable prior to the applications. For the experimental group, a second vocabulary test equivalent to the first one was conducted after they read a novel extract including the target vocabulary items, and a third test was carried out after they watched two computer game cutscenes that were based on the same events as the novel extract to understand whether seeing the target vocabulary items in these contexts repetitively would result in a significant increase in their target vocabulary knowledge. For the control group, the second and the third vocabulary tests were undertaken immediately after the first one to investigate whether mere exposure to equivalent vocabulary tests without the interventions would lead to a significant increase in their target vocabulary knowledge. The findings of the study indicated that the scores of the participants in the experimental group increased descriptively on the second test and significantly on the third test, whereas the scores of the participants in the control group decreased significantly on the second test and descriptively on the third test. The study provides practical and academic implications based on the findings.

The role of the natural history museum in promoting word learning for young children

AbstractAlthough strong claims have been made about museums being ideal word learning environments, these are yet to be empirically supported. In the current study, 152 four‐ to five‐year‐olds children (81‐M, 71‐F) from minority backgrounds were taught six vocabulary items either in a museum, in their classroom with museum resources, or in their classroom with classroom resources. At test, children taught in their classroom with museum resources produced significantly more correct responses than children taught in the museum or in their classroom with classroom resources. Children were also significantly better at retaining the target vocabulary items than recalling them. These data demonstrate how context can impact word learning and point to the benefits of a collaborative relationship between schools and museums to support children's language development.

The Effects of Using Karaoke Videos on Malaysian JFL Students' Vocabulary Learning

This research paper aimed to explore and investigate whether the use of karaoke videos in Japanese language classes influences vocabulary acquisition among Malaysian Japanese language learners. The study was conducted on 150 students learning Japanese at the beginner level as an elective subject at the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and observations. The analytical descriptive results showed that the participants could memorize and understand Japanese vocabulary quickly and easily after watching karaoke videos that contained visual graphics/animations combined with text, which stimulate their brains. Data from the interviews also showed that the target vocabulary items were pronounced accurately and correctly when learners sang along while watching the karaoke videos. The triangulation of data showed that karaoke videos are a good tool to engage participants in learning Japanese while having fun; this has resulted in higher motivation when learning the language. This study asserts that the use of karaoke videos in other foreign language classes will help boost students’ confidence and motivation levels. Students were more engaged when songs with basic Japanese vocabulary were used in the lesson because the songs offered context-specific, individualized appeal and memory help for essential ideas. Songs are significant from a constructivist perspective because they help students generate meaning, from a sociocultural perspective in terms of student participation, and from a cognitive standpoint because they assist students to establish connections in learning in these cases. Keywords: karaoke videos, vocabulary acquisition, foreign language, the Japanese language, language learning. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.60.85

Learning English with electronic textbooks on mobile devices: Impacts on university students' vocabulary development.

The current study examined the use of electronic textbooks designed as mobile applications for learning vocabulary in English among Iranian university students. To this end, 95 university students in an experimental (N = 50) and a control group (N = 45) participated in the study. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed and over an academic semester, the participants used either traditional materials or mobile-based electronic textbooks for learning 600 words in English. To assess the outcomes from different learning conditions, receptive knowledge of the target vocabulary items was tested in three junctures of time (i.e. pre-, post-, and delayed post-test). Additionally, open-ended questionnaires and interviews were used to collect qualitative data from the experimental group to further investigate their perceptions of using mobile-based electronic textbooks for vocabulary learning. The findings revealed a significant main effect for time and both groups significantly improved their vocabulary knowledge from pre-test to post-test. Moreover, a significant main effect was found for using electronic textbooks on mobile devices, and the experimental group outperformed the control group on the post- and delayed post-tests. The qualitative findings revealed three perceived benefits, namely episodic learning, easy access to materials, and enhanced enjoyment for mobile assisted vocabulary learning through electronic textbooks. The perceived challenges were related to health concerns, distractions associated with mobile environments, and external pressure resulting from excessive mobile use among the participants. In general, the findings of the study shed light on the potential offered by mobile-based textbooks for learning English vocabulary, with implications for teachers and materials developers in language teaching programs.

The Effects of Definitional, Sentential, and Textual Vocabulary Learning Strategies on Iranian EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning and Retention

This research investigated the effect of three definitional, sentential, and textual vocabulary learning strategies on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. Based on Oxford Solutions Placement Test, of 94 total population, 66 Iranian EFL learners were selected as homogeneous participants at the intermediate level from a private English Language Institute in Rasht, Iran. Next, according to the quasi-experimental design, characterized by administration of a pretest, treatment, and a posttest and a delayed posttest, the learners were randomly assigned to two experimental groups of textual (TG), sentential (SG), and one control group of definitional, (DG) each with 22 participants. A familiarity test of vocabulary was administered to certify the learners’ familiarity with the targeted vocabulary items. The groups were pretested on their current knowledge of vocabulary, after which they received a 20-session text-based, sentence-based, and definition-based instructions of vocabulary. In addition, all groups attended the posttest of vocabulary at the end of the treatment sessions. The results of the immediate and delayed posttests analyzed using one-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in the performances of the three groups in favor of TG group that gained and retained higher rates of vocabulary items than did the SG and DG groups although the SG group was more successful. Further findings and implications are discussed in the paper. The findings of the research can be utilized by the teachers, materials developers, and education authorities to provide textual-based vocabulary instruction for Iranian EFL learners.

The Influence of Word Frequency of Occurrence and Visual Imagery on L2 Incidental Vocabulary Learning

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of word frequency of occurrence and visual imagery on incidental vocabulary learning through viewing a documentary. The study attempts to answer these questions: (1) To what extent does L2 incidental vocabulary learning occur through viewing a documentary?; (2) What is the influence of word frequency of occurrence on incidental learning of L2 unfamiliar words?; (3) What is the influence of visual imagery on incidental learning of L2 unfamiliar words?. This study is significant because it exploits social media sites which are excellent resources for viewing videos by most young EFL learners. Participants were 63 EFL students who viewed a captioned documentary. Two groups of word families that included 12 target words were prepared. The first group, labeled the sensitive group, had six words from the third and fourth 1000-word list and occurred three times or more in the documentary with different levels of visual imagery support. The second group, labeled the challenging group, included six words from the sixth and seventh 1000-word list that had only one occurrence in the documentary with almost no visual imagery support. The study used a multiple-choice vocabulary test as a pretest and posttest to measure receptive knowledge of the meaning of the target vocabulary items. The findings suggested that viewing a documentary positively affected incidental vocabulary learning and that learning was positively affected by word frequency of occurrence as well as visual imagery.

Unraveling Contradictions: Which Glosses Facilitate Reading Comprehension Among ELLs, and Why?

This critical literature review provides study details for 36 studies examining the effect of glossing for language acquisition among English language learners (ELLs). Useful tables include specificity of participants, gloss types, target vocabulary items and text information about all studies. An analysis of these studies reveals that glossing is an effective means to enhance reading comprehension among ELLs. However, gloss language—whether L1 or English, may depend on learner factors. Other findings include the importance of proximity of gloss to text and the need for glosses that do not require readers to leave the text to access meaning. Considerations such as text genre, text length, targeted items for glossing, number of items to gloss, and gloss presentation are also examined and discussed, including which gloss types may result in trade-offs when glossing is used as a means to promote incidental vocabulary acquisition through independent reading. Several recommendations for further research are offered.

Effects of Incidental and Explicit Tasks on the Use of Vocabulary in EFL Learners’ Writing

The present study aimed at investigating the effects of the two tasks (narrow reading [NR] and sentence production [SP]) on EFL learners’ use of the target vocabulary items in writing, in order to provide substantial evidence of the controversial issue concerning which task (incidental or explicit) for vocabulary learning and use is more effective in EFL context. For this study, 154 college students (137 males and 17 females) were classified into three groups (NR, SP, and control groups), and they were asked to take pre- and post- vocabulary tests and three writing tasks. The results of the study were 1) the NR task was effective in the use of the target words in writing in terms of all three measures (the use of target word families in writing, the LFP ration, and the vocabulary tests), and so was the SP task in two measures except the LFP ratio; and 2) the NR group outperformed the SP group in the target vocabulary tests, though both groups failed to reveal any significant differences in the other two measures. Theoretical and pedagogical relevance of the findings is addressed.

The effectiveness of visual materials in teaching vocabulary to deaf students of EFL

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using visual materials in teaching vocabulary to deaf students of EFL. For this purpose, 80 deaf students from a state special education vocational high school in Turkey contributed to this study. All students had first English classes in their lives and they are at the starter level of English, thus pre-test for their English proficiency was not given. The students were randomly divided into two groups to form the experimental group and the control group. 10 vocabulary items per week were taught to the students, and 50 target vocabulary items in total were taught during the whole study. To the experimental group, the vocabulary items were taught via visual materials together with the sign language. The control group was not presented with any visual items during the teaching process of the experiment, only sign language instruction was used for them. After the treatment, a vocabulary test was given to each group as an immediate post-test to measure the impact on learning. Six weeks after the immediate tests, delayed post-test was given to the groups to test long term retention. The results of the two post-tests were analyzed through Independent Samples t-test and Paired Samples t-test calculations to investigate the effectiveness of visual materials. According to the results of the study, visual materials were found to be more effective than using only the sign language that does not contain any visual items in teaching vocabulary items to deaf learners who learn English as a foreign language.

Role of Subtitles in L2 Acquisition and Comprehension: A Pilot Study of Hearing-Impaired Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether subtitles can facilitate language processing in English as a second language (L2) and, if so, which subtitles would be more beneficial for hard-of-hearing students with Norwegian as their first language. In total, 14 advanced learners of L2 English were recruited and tested on English comprehension and target vocabulary items based on video material provided with subtitles in English or Norwegian in comparison to no subtitles (control condition). Subtitles aided comprehension of the plot, tested immediately after clip presentation, with an advantage for English subtitles over Norwegian subtitles and no subtitles. Furthermore, subtitles were found to enhance the performance of the participants with moderate hearing loss more than they did for mild hearing loss participants. The inclusion of English subtitles only marginally enhanced vocabulary understanding for both mild and moderate hearing loss students. The findings of this study can be transferred to classrooms and may supplement other methods of adjusting the academic environment, in order to meet the need of students with hearing loss.

Comparing incidental vocabulary learning from reading-only and reading-while-listening

This study compares incidental vocabulary learning in reading-while-listening and reading-only conditions. Using both offline and online outcome measures, I assessed explicit form and meaning knowledge and the lexicalization of new words. I also explored how L2 listening and reading proficiency moderated learning gains in the two treatment conditions. L2 learners first read or read-while-listened to four short stories in English for meaning, with embedded target vocabulary items. They then completed surprise vocabulary posttests in the order of a form priming lexical decision task, a form recognition test, a form-meaning connection test and a semantic priming lexical decision task. Results showed that while the reading-while-listening group outperformed the reading-only group in recognizing the form and meaning of the target vocabulary, neither group fully lexicalized the new words, which was crucial for fluent lexical retrieval. L2 listening and reading proficiency affected learning from reading-while-listening and reading-only differentially: the reading-while-listening group was negatively affected by L2 reading proficiency when controlling for listening proficiency while performance of the reading-only group was not predicted by L2 proficiency. Implications for the use of bimodal input in incidental vocabulary learning are discussed.

Effects of Task Involvement Load on L2 Vocabulary Acquisition and Their Association with Language Aptitude

Vocabulary acquisition is a central component of second language learning. While there have been advancements in our understanding of the factors contributing to vocabulary acquisition in L2 students, it is still unclear how language aptitude is associated with the effects of task involvement load in this process. This study investigates the effects of task involvement load on incidental vocabulary learning and their association with language aptitude. One hundred and forty-four participants were assigned to five groups. All groups finished reading a passage and completed tasks that had different involvement loads. A pretest and two posttests adapted from Paribakht and Wesche’s (TESOL Can J 11:9–29, 1993) Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) were employed to assess learners’ development of the target vocabulary items. The LLAMA test (Meara, in: In_lognostics, Retrieved from February 14, 2017, from https://www.lognostics.co.uk/tools/llama , 2005) was administered to measure participants’ language aptitude. We found that, in the immediate posttest, the Gap-fill (with search) group showed superiority over the Reading (no need) and Reading (with need) groups, while the Sentence-writing group significantly outperformed the other four groups. In the delayed posttest, both the Gap-fill (with search) group and the Sentence-writing group significantly outperformed the other three groups. Our study also reveals a moderate correlation between language aptitude and vocabulary learning.

Effects of Language Skills and Strategy Use on Vocabulary Learning Through Lexical Translation and Inferencing

This study explores how vocabulary learning strategy usage and skills in the four language domains relate to participants’ increase in vocabulary size and to the learning of specific vocabulary items over a certain period of time. Sixty-one advanced L1 Arabic L2 learners of English read target words in semi-authentic reading materials and were instructed to either guess the meaning from context or consult a dictionary. Pre- and delayed post-tests assessed vocabulary size and knowledge of the target vocabulary items. Results showed that learning through inferencing, but not learning through dictionary use, depended on learners’ familiarity with the particular learning strategy. Additionally, note taking and reading comprehension influenced lexical knowledge and acquisition in complex ways.

Effects of content support on integrated reading-writing task performance and incidental vocabulary learning

This study examined the effects of content support during an integrated reading-writing task on second language learners’ writing performance and incidental vocabulary learning. Thirty-four Korean undergraduate students read an English opinion essay that presented a certain view, and wrote an argumentative essay that refuted the view. Target vocabulary items were eight pseudowords that replaced nouns in the opinion essay. Participants were randomly assigned to either –complex condition, in which they received useful ideas for refutation, or +complex condition where they had to generate their own ideas. Keystroke-logging files revealed that the participants without content support were significantly more likely to pause longer and more frequently between sentences and insert additional information during writing. Lack of content support was further shown to lead to superior ability to recognize target pseudoword forms.

The effectiveness of the adapted Box Clever language intervention programme in the development of vocabulary and narrative skills of deaf and hard of hearing children

ABSTRACT Children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) in Sri Lanka have inadequate access to early amplification and language stimulation. As a result, they are at risk of impoverished language development: spoken language and sign language. Thirty DHH children who use Sri Lankan sign language between the ages of 4;4-7;2 years from three classrooms of a School for the Deaf were included in this study. The culturally-modified Box Clever language-enrichment programme was offered as a whole-class approach twice a week during a 12-week school term through the class teacher. Pre- and post-intervention language measures and statistical analyses of language scores were undertaken of receptive and expressive vocabulary on picture-naming tasks of target vocabulary. In addition, content and syntactic analyses of narrative skills were undertaken using the Elephant Tales Narrative Assessment, an informal assessment created by the researchers, as no local formal standardised assessments exist currently. There were promising results with statistically significant positive gains in receptive and expressive vocabulary skills on target vocabulary items post-intervention by all the participants. Positive qualitative differences were observed in the content within the target narrative assessment post-intervention by all participants with evidence of the emergence of two to three sign combinations by many of the children.

Comparing embedded and non-embedded visual scene displays for one adult diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: A clinical application of single case design

This study provides an example of using single case experimental design to guide data-driven, low-inference interventions for an individual using customized displays on a speech-generating device and can serve as an example for interventionists who need to compare intervention strategies to identify approaches that are most appropriate for a specific learner. This study compared the performance of locating vocabulary in embedded and non-embedded visual scene displays (VSDs) on a speech-generating device by one 19-year-old male diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. A single case experimental alternating treatment design was applied and the participant was taught to locate 48 vocabulary items that were equally divided among eight VSDs (i.e. four embedded and four non-embedded VSDs, each containing six vocabulary items). Accuracy and latency data for locating target VSDs and vocabulary items were measured over 12 intervention sessions and one maintenance session. Results show that the participant was initially more accurate and faster in locating vocabulary among embedded VSDs, when compared to non-embedded VSDs. However, over the course of 12 intervention sessions and the maintenance session, his performance became similar among both embedded and non-embedded VSDs. Implications regarding the clinical utility of the single case alternating treatment design and limitations are discussed.

CONTEXTUAL WORD LEARNING IN THE FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE

AbstractAccess to definitions facilitates the learning of word meanings when novel words are encountered in reading. However, the memorial costs and benefits of inferring word meanings from context, compared to seeing definitions of unfamiliar words before reading, are not yet well understood. We conducted two experiments with adult L1 (English) and L2 (Chinese) readers to investigate whether the development of declarative and nondeclarative word knowledge benefits more when definitions are supplied before reading (errorless treatment) or after reading (trial-and-error treatment). Study participants encountered 90 target vocabulary items three times in short informative texts under errorless or trial-and-error conditions and entered their meaning inferences immediately after reading each text. Posttreatment, we evaluated participants’ declarative knowledge of the target items using a meaning generation (recall) task and nondeclarative knowledge using a self-paced reading task. The trial-and-error treatment followed by definitions resulted in a superior declarative and nondeclarative knowledge, compared to the errorless treatment, for L1 and L2 readers. Inference errors affected the development of declarative but not nondeclarative knowledge, and the trajectory of the development of nondeclarative knowledge was different for L1 and L2 readers. We interpret these findings in terms of the declarative and nondeclarative memory processes underpinning contextual word learning.

Effects of explicit L2 vocabulary instruction on developing kindergarten children’s target and general vocabulary and phonological awareness

The introduction of second language (L2) education in kindergartens is ubiquitous in many places globally; nevertheless, research in these settings is scarce compared with that on older learners. L2 vocabulary development is especially germane to these very young learners, rendering this a research-worthy topic. The present study examined the effects of researcher-designed explicit vocabulary instruction compared with implicit instruction on English-as-a-second-language participants’ (N = 157) gains in not only the target vocabulary items, but also general vocabulary as well as phonological awareness. Statistically significant differences were found in all vocabulary tasks and the phonemic awareness task with small to large effect sizes. These showed that, in addition to the target vocabulary, the participants receiving explicit vocabulary instruction also had greater gains in receptive and expressive general vocabulary and phonemic awareness. The article culminates in delineating the children’s differential achievements, followed by a brief discussion of the limitations and implications.

Developing young learners’ vocabulary retention through adapted Turkish educational games in EFL environment

Games are significant intervention strategies most of the teachers utilise in their teaching process. As they supply motivating and entertaining atmosphere for students, they create a necessity for them to acquire the components of the target language. This study mainly focused on the significance of using games particularly including the suggestion of the adapted version of Turkish educational games to teaching of vocabulary for young learners in EFL environment and analysing their impact on vocabulary retention capacities of learners. Participants were 44 female intermediate fifth grade students divided into two groups as the experimental and the control groups. In the experimental group, students practiced target vocabulary items through adapted Turkish educational games while the students in the control group exercised them only with activities in their books traditionally. The study indicated that there was a significant difference between two groups in terms of defining and using them for particular contexts. Keywords: Games; teaching vocabulary; traditional Turkish games; young learners