A Study of the Impact of Implicit and Explicit Approaches to Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition using Reading Comprehension Exercises (original) (raw)

Reading‐Based Exercises in Second Language Vocabulary Learning: An Introspective Study

The Modern Language Journal, 2000

In this study, university English as a Second Language (ESL) learners' responses to 5 different types of text-based vocabulary exercises were examined. The objective was to understand better how such exercises may promote different kinds of lexical processing and learning and to compare these outcomes with those from thematic reading for comprehension. The results support a view of vocabulary acquisition as an elaborative and iterative process and demonstrate the primary role of the tasks learners carry out with new words that they encounter. Tasks provide learners with varied and multiple encounters with given words that highlight different lexical features, promoting elaboration and strengthening of different aspects of word knowledge. The findings also provide insight into the nature of the advantages, found in previous research, of using text-based vocabulary exercises together with a reading text as opposed to using multiple reading texts for the learning of particular words and their lexical features.

The role of Extensive Reading in second language vocabulary acquisition

T he purpose of this paper is to raise ER practitioners' awareness of the centrality of the acquisition of vocabulary to the development of all language skills , and to encourage them to reflect carefully on the extent to which their practices are in keeping with the recommendations made in the literature on second language vocabulary acquisition (SLVA). Practitioners will be further encouraged to consider if and how an integrated approach (ER + ) developed by the author might be adapted to his/her particular teaching circumstances.

The Place of Reading Comprehension in Second Language Acquisition

Journal of Literature Languages and Linguistics, 2015

The present study aims to show the importance of ESL reading ability in acquiring English as a second language. The study involves 92 college students (males and females) from the Department of English at Nizwa College of Applied Sciences. They represent two groups, the Foundation year students and the first year English majors. A number of tests were used to measure students' overall proficiency in English as well as their reading ability (i.e., the ability to contribute to the main idea of the text, scanning, skimming, to derive word meanings from context, to use a dictionary to find meanings, definitions, to identify prefixes, antonyms and synonyms). Students' ability to read was correlated to their proficiency level in the second language. It was found in the study that good readers were better users of the dictionary, derived meanings of words from the context and contributed to the main idea of the text better than poor readers did. Good readers were found to be high achievers in the second language.

L2 vocabulary acquisition: Investigating the key to lexical comprehension

2003

L2 researchers have debated the significance of the lexicon in addition to the relevance of acquiring syntax, in the learning of an L2. (Huckin et.al, 1993; and other researchers in the field of SLA recognize the fact that learners' knowledge of words from context assists them in the comprehension of unfamiliar words that they encounter in their reading materials. Academic reading materials tend to be cognitively demanding and often require language in which contextual cues for meaning are reduced. Research in lexical acquisition has gained significant grounds lately, comparable to that of studies in the acquisition of syntax, which have played a prominent role in SLA.

Vocabulary Acquisition: Practical Strategies for ESL Students

Journal of International Students, 2013

The English language is considered to have the largest vocabulary in the world (Crystal, 2002). Educated native speakers of English are expected to know approximately 20,000 word families or 70,000 words (Nation, 2001); however, educated non-native speakers of English know less than one quarter of the native speakers’ vocabulary (Laufer & Yano, 2001). Nonnative speakers of English must increase their vocabulary knowledge in order to become successful in their academic endeavors in English-medium educational environments. A solid foundation of vocabulary knowledge is essential at every stage of the learner’s second language (L2) development. Regardless of the degree of the learner’s competency in grammar and pronunciation; one cannot have effective communication without sufficient vocabulary knowledge.

Vocabulary: A guide to researching instructed second language vocabulary acquisition

L. Gurzynski-Weiss & Y. Kim (Eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Instructed Second Language Acquisition Research Methods. (pp. 181-206). London: Routledge., 2022

Acquiring vocabulary knowledge is a vital part of L2 learning because vocabulary plays a significant role in every mode of communication (reading, listening, writing, and speaking). For learners to become independent users of a L2, they must know many thousands of words and learn how to use them well in communication. For example, learners of English must acquire up to 9,000 words (e.g., happy) and their morphologically-related forms (e.g., happiness, unhappy, happily) to comprehend spoken and written texts (e.g., conversation, television programs, films, novels, and newspapers) (Nation, 2006; Webb & Rodgers, 2009a, 2009b). Moreover, acquisition of L2 vocabulary entails learning different aspects of word knowledge such as word parts, collocations, and associations, not only learning form-meaning connections. Thus, the teaching, learning, and researching of L2 vocabulary can be highly complex. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a guide to researching instructed second language vocabulary acquisition. The chapter sets out to provide (1) an overview of key concepts in vocabulary research, (2) a brief overview of L2 vocabulary research focusing on intervention studies, (3) an overview of a frequently employed study design (pretest-posttest design), different measures for assessing L2 vocabulary knowledge as well as options and cautions for interpreting data, (4) advice for future vocabulary researchers, and (5) tips to overcome potential challenges.

Conceptualizations of Vocabulary Knowledge in Second Language Reading

The Reading Matrix : an International Online Journal, 2017

Reading research has recognized the strong relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension. However, we are still perplexed by the precise nature of how readers access and retrieve word meanings while reading. We have not reached a consensus on “what it means to know a word” (e.g., Anderson & Nagy, 1991; Nation, 2001) or how to assess vocabulary knowledge. While background knowledge influences our interpretation of word meanings (e.g., Kintsch, 1998; Adams, 1994), it is unclear how many studies have considered its role in second language reading and vocabulary acquisition. This narrative synthesis integrates empirical findings on the issue, investigating how vocabulary has been conceptualized in the field and what relationships have been explored between L2 vocabulary, prior knowledge, and reading comprehension. Vigorous criteria were used to select 15 studies for inclusion in this synthesis. The majority of studies investigated vocabulary size or depth as a direct causal ...

The Effects of Frequency of Occurrence on L2 Lexical Acquisition from Reading

The acquisition of L2 lexical knowledge primarily follows two approaches in L2 teaching-learning contexts: explicit or intentional and incidental vocabulary acquisition. However, acquisition of vocabulary from contexts such as reading significantly contributes to one " s lexical development in L2 in contrast to the explicit isolated nature of vocabulary learning. Research in second language vocabulary acquisition (SLVA) has often defined lexical acquisition from reading as incidental acquisition when learners " focus is on the message of the text rather than the individual target words. In addition, researchers argue that such acquisition is made possible when learners experience the target words multiple times in reading texts. Hence the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of frequency of occurrence (1×3×7) on acquisition of six aspects of target word knowledge from reading by 60 sixteen year old Odia speaking learners of English at the higher secondary level. The research was carried out in the quantitative paradigm and followed an experimental design which included several tools. The study was conducted in two different stages: stage 1 (preparation of tools and the pilot study) and stage 2 (the main study). Sixty learners were equally divided into three groups (Exposure 1, Exposure 3, and Exposure 7) based on their performance on the 3000 word level VLT and were provided a specified number of reading texts followed by the immediate post-test. The t-test analysis of the data revealed that there was no significant difference between one exposure and three exposures in terms of acquisition of the six aspects of lexical knowledge. However, seven exposures to target words could result in significant lexical gain. The findings can inform practitioners in ELT to promote autonomous vocabulary development by exposing learners to L2 target vocabulary multiple times in reading. Introduction The importance of vocabulary in language learning cannot be overemphasized since the knowledge of it highly correlates with the language proficiency of learners in second/foreign language contexts. The concerns towards teaching-learning of vocabulary in ESL/EFL contexts were developed after Richard " s (1976) introduction of the term " lexical competence " , which highlighted the multi-dimensional nature of a " word ". Subsequently, the notion of " lexical competence " came to be perceived from different perspectives: applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistic, and paved way for research on several issues: strategy instruction, approaches and techniques to teach vocabulary, role of memory in vocabulary learning, and sources of acquisition and their effectiveness. In contexts where real life exposure