The authors look back on their participation in three successful multiyear research studies focused on multifaceted vocabulary instruction and distill four overarching lessons that provide practical ...guidance to schools and teachers interested in implementing effective comprehensive vocabulary instruction. Specifically, they elaborate on the value of instruction that addresses quality, quantity, and strategy dimensions of vocabulary learning; teaching many types of high‐value words; employing versatile instructional strategies such as using visual images and creating vocabulary collections; and seizing opportunities to foster students’ word consciousness. The authors also describe and illustrate a number of practical activities that teachers can employ to enhance their students’ word learning.
This study investigated incidental learning of single‐word items and collocations through listening to teacher talk. Although there are several studies that have investigated incidental vocabulary ...learning through listening, no intervention studies have explicitly investigated the extent to which listening to teachers in a classroom context might contribute to vocabulary learning. The present study fills this gap. Additionally, the study explored the relationship between vocabulary learning gains and two factors: frequency of occurrence and first language (L1) translation. A meaning‐recall test and a multiple‐choice test were used to evaluate learning gains. The results indicated that (a) listening to teacher talk has potential to contribute to vocabulary learning of both single‐word items and collocations, (b) using L1 translation to explain target word meanings contributed to larger gains on the immediate posttest, (c) frequency of occurrence was not a significant predictor of incidental vocabulary learning.
This article overviews current research on second language vocabulary learning. It concludes that a large vocabulary is necessary to function in English: 8000—9000 word families for reading, and ...perhaps as many as 5000—7000 families for oral discourse. In addition, a number of word knowledge aspects need to be learned about each lexical item. Taken together, this amounts to a substantial lexical learning challenge, one which many/most learners fail to meet. To facilitate adequate vocabulary learning, four vocabulary learning partners (students, teachers, materials writers, and researchers) need to contribute to the learning process. Vocabulary learning programs need to include both an explicit, intentional learning component and a component based around maximizing exposure and incidental learning. The four learning strands (meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning, and fluency development) suggested by Nation (2001) provide a structure by which to integrate intentional and incidental vocabulary learning. The overriding principle for maximizing vocabulary learning is to increase the amount of engagement learners have with lexical items. All four learning partners need to acknowledge the incremental nature of vocabulary learning, and to develop learning programs which are principled, long-term, and which recognize the richness and scope of the lexical knowledge that needs to be mastered.
This study developed a 5-step vocabulary learning (FSVL) strategy and a mobile learning tool in a situational English vocabulary learning environment and assessed their effects on the learning ...motivation and performance of English as a foreign language (EFL) students in a situational English vocabulary learning environment. Overall, 80 EFL students and 1 teacher participated in this study. Two learning methods were implemented. The first involved employing the FSVL strategy and the mobile learning tool in a situational English vocabulary learning environment, and the other method involved employing the FSVL strategy and traditional learning tools in a situational English vocabulary learning environment. Data were collected by conducting interviews and tests and administering the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction motivation questionnaire. The results showed that the learning motivation and performance of students taught using the FSVL strategy and mobile learning tool were superior to those of students taught using the FSVL strategy and traditional learning tools in a situational English vocabulary learning environment.
Children vary widely in how quickly their vocabularies grow. Can looking at early gesture use in children and parents help us predict this variability? We videotaped 53 English-speaking parent-child ...dyads in their homes during their daily activities for 90-minutes every four months between child age 14 and 34 months. At 42 months, children were given the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). We found that child gesture use at 14 months was a significant predictor of vocabulary size at 42 months, above and beyond the effects of parent and child word use at 14 months. Parent gesture use at 14 months was not directly related to vocabulary development, but did relate to child gesture use at 14 months which, in turn, predicted child vocabulary. These relations hold even when background factors such as socio-economic status are controlled. The findings underscore the importance of examining early gesture when predicting child vocabulary development.
This study was to assess the spoken vocabulary knowledge and its role in incidental vocabulary learning from captioned television. The participants were a total of 87 minority students learning ...English as a foreign language in Australia. The breadth of their vocabulary knowledge was measured with a vocabulary size test, while the depth of their vocabulary knowledge was through an assessment of collocational and semantic relationships. The results indicated that (1) captioned videos are helpful for incidental vocabulary learning; (2) scores on the breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge and incidental vocabulary learning from viewing captioned television are highly and positively correlated; and (3) scores on the depth of vocabulary knowledge can make a unique contribution to the prediction of incidental vocabulary learning at the form and meaning recognition level, in addition to the prediction afforded by scores on the breadth of vocabulary knowledge. The findings highlight a need to improve the depth of vocabulary knowledge for incidental vocabulary learning from captioned viewing.
This meta‐analysis aimed to clarify the complex relationship between repetition and second language (L2) incidental vocabulary learning by meta‐analyzing primary studies reporting correlation ...coefficients between the number of encounters and vocabulary learning. We synthesized and quantitatively analyzed 45 effect sizes from 26 studies (N = 1,918) to calculate the mean effect size of the frequency–learning relationship and to explore the extent to which 10 empirically motivated variables moderate this relationship. Results showed that there was a medium effect (r = .34) of repetition on incidental vocabulary learning. Subsequent moderator analyses revealed that variability in the size of repetition effects across studies was explained by learner variables (age, vocabulary knowledge), treatment variables (spaced learning, visual support, engagement, range in number of encounters), and methodological differences (nonword use, forewarning of an upcoming comprehension test, vocabulary test format). Based on the findings, we suggest future directions for L2 incidental vocabulary learning research.
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As the demand for English for academic purposes (EAP) courses increases, efforts are being made to identify pedagogically useful resources for them. Academic podcasts may be helpful for EAP pedagogy, ...considering their ever-growing stockpile of authentic content covering a wealth of topics from various disciplines that is conveyed in diverse speech formats (e.g., narratives and discussions). Yet, the potential value of podcasts as EAP resources remains largely unexplored. This study addresses that issue by analyzing the lexical nature of the general, academic, and discipline-specific vocabulary in a 9.6-million-word corpus of academic podcasts. The results indicate that these podcasts contain a large amount of frequently used academic vocabulary, but are lexically less demanding than university lectures. As such, they may be especially suitable as learning materials for novice EAP students. The podcasts also contain many disciplinary vocabulary items that are rather infrequent in general English but are essential to discipline-specific speech. Together, these results indicate the strong potential value of academic podcasts to EAP pedagogy, as they create rich opportunities for students to encounter both core academic and discipline-specific vocabulary in use in authentic contexts. Pedagogical suggestions for the use of podcasts in EAP courses are also provided.
•A 9.6-million-word corpus of academic podcasts was examined.•The coverage of general, academic, and discipline-specific vocabulary are analyzed.•The podcasts contain much frequently-used academic spoken vocabulary.•The podcasts contain many low-frequency words essential to disciplinary speech.•Academic podcasts are pedagogically-useful resources for EAP teaching and learning.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of role-play on the vocabulary learning and retention of Iranian intermediate-level EFL learners. A quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest ...control group was employed to achieve this objective. The study consisted of 50 male intermediate students who were conveniently selected as participants. The research instruments included an Oxford Placement Test (OPT), a pretest, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest. During the treatment period, the experimental and control groups attended 12 classes at the institute. The conditions were identical for both groups, except that role-play was incorporated into the instructional approach for the experimental group while it was omitted for the control group. The findings indicated that role-play positively and significantly influenced the learners' vocabulary acquisition and long-term retention.
Quantity and quality of caregiver input was examined longitudinally in a sample of 50 parent—child dyads to determine which aspects of input contribute most to children's vocabulary skill across ...early development. Measures of input gleaned from parent—child interactions at child ages 18, 30, and 42 months were examined in relation to children's vocabulary skill on a standardized measure 1 year later (e.g., 30, 42, and 54 months). Results show that controlling for socioeconomic status, input quantity, and children's previous vocabulary skill; using a diverse and sophisticated vocabulary with toddlers; and using decontextualized language (e.g., narrative) with preschoolers explains additional variation in later vocabulary ability. The differential effects of various aspects of the communicative environment at several points in early vocabulary development are discussed.
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