An Analysis of Student and Teacher Indications of Vocabulary Difficulty

Brutten, Sheila R.

doi:10.1177/003368828101200105

Cited by 7 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…As this study was focused on the initial stage of vocabulary learning, the main criterion in the selection of the words was the high likelihood of the lexis being unknown to the participants. Since experienced language teachers have been shown to be able to predict the words with which students are unfamiliar (Brutten 1981), the probability of selecting appropriate lexis was considered high. As 'part of speech' has been shown to be related to ease of guessing and retention (Liu and Nation 1985), this variable was controlled by selecting an equal number of verbs (60), nouns (20) and adjectives (20) for each of the two word lists (List A and List B).…”

Section: Target Vocabulary and The Consolidation Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

L2 vocabulary learning and testing: the use of L1 translation versus L2 definition

Joyce

2015

The Language Learning Journal

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This paper investigates the effect of using L1 translations versus L2 definitions on the learning and testing of L2 vocabulary recognition knowledge. For this study, 48 Japanese L2 learners of English studied 200 lexical items from the academic word list (AWL) over a 10-week period. To support their learning, the participants were provided with the meaning of the target language. The language in which the meanings were presented was manipulated such that the learners received half of them in their L1 and half in their L2. Similarly, at pre-and post-test stages, the participants were tested on their receptive knowledge of the vocabulary equally in both languages. Through a factorial repeated measures analysis of variance, the results showed that the students' recognition of the L2 vocabulary was significantly higher when asked to match the target vocabulary to L1 translations than L2 definitions. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between study language and testing language, such that when study and testing language matched, the participants scored significantly higher. However, overall, the language in which the target vocabulary was studied did not matter for test scores. The implications of these results for learning, teaching, and test taking are discussed. IntroductionVocabulary development is an integral part of second language (L2) acquisition. While there are many different facets to vocabulary learning, 'the form-meaning link is the first and most essential lexical aspect which must be acquired' (Schmitt 2008: 333). The reason for the tremendous value attributed to this feature of vocabulary knowledge pertains to its importance in successful language processing. Vocabulary size has been found to be one of the greatest predictors of both first language (L1) and L2 reading comprehension (Anderson and Freebody 1981;Daneman 1991;Laufer 1992) and to correlate highly with writing quality (Astika 1993). Thus, the acquisition of a large vocabulary is an extremely important aspect of L2 learning. In order to comprehend a range of authentic texts, it has been estimated that L2 learners require an understanding of 8000-9000 word families (Nation 2006) with each word family containing several word forms. To succeed in acquiring a vocabulary size of that order, it is vital that students are able to quickly and efficiently broaden their target language vocabulary knowledge. Yet, the most effective means of achieving this goal remains unclear.

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Section: Target Vocabulary and The Consolidation Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

L2 vocabulary learning and testing: the use of L1 translation versus L2 definition

Joyce

2015

The Language Learning Journal

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“…As an aside, in one study, college-age intermediate-level ESL students and their teachers disagreed somewhat on which vocabulary in a 956-word passage would create difficulty in reading for meaning (Brutten, 1981). Although 110 words were common to both students and teachers, the teachers underestimated word difficulties, at least in relation to the students' perceptions; students picked an additional 81 words, but teachers picked only 12 more.…”

Section: Instructional Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

English-as-a-Second-Language Reading Instruction in the United States: A Research Review

Fitzgerald

1995

Journal of Reading Behavior

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The purpose of this review is to characterize research and portray findings on English-as-a-second-language (ESL) reading instruction in the United States. The spectrum of research on ESL reading instruction in the United States might best be characterized as having considerable breadth, but little depth. However, some tentative themes emerged. Among the most important statements that could be made were the following. First, some broad classroom parameters were discerned: Students may work mainly in small groups, stressing word recognition and oral reading; typical instructional discourse patterns may be incompatible with common home-discourse patterns; and teachers may work with lower ESL groups in different ways and stress lower level skills even more as compared to higher ESL groups. Second, research contributed little clarification on issues surrounding the role and timing of native-language reading instruction and ESL reading instruction for ESL reading achievement. Third, instruction targeting specific student knowledge, such as vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, and text-structure knowledge, was generally effective. Fourth, there was a paucity of information about important issues related to ESL reading in teacher materials. Purpose, Definitions, and DelimitationsThe purpose of this article is to characterize research and portray findings from studies on English-as-a-second-language (ESL) reading instruction in the United States. The definition of United States ESL learners used for this review is individuals residing in the United States who meet the federal government's definition of "limited English proficient" (Public Law 100-297, April 28, 1988, 102 115 116 Journal of Reading BehaviorStatute 276, 20 USC 3283, Section 7003): ESL learners (a) are not born in the United States, (b) have native languages other than English, (c) come from environments where English was not dominant, or (d) are American Indian or Alaskan natives from environments where languages other than English impact their English proficiency levels. Recently, the government has also allowed program funding for Hawaiian-and Haitian-Creole speakers under the rubric of "limited English proficient." In this article, the term ESL learners is used as a special case of the phrase, "language minorities," which in general refers to individuals who are living in a place where they do not speak the majority's language.The focus on English reading in this review does not carry an implied author advocacy of an "English only" position.

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“…Therefore, the lexis considered least likely to be known was selected. The likelihood of being able to choose such vocabulary was considered high since experienced language teachers have been shown to be capable ofpredicting with which words students are unfamiliar (Brutten, 1981). For each of the two word lists (List A and List B), an equal number of verbs (60), nouns (20) and adjectives (20) was selected.…”

Section: Target Vocabulary and The Consolidation Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

L2 Vocabulary Learning and Testing: Student Proficiency and the Use of L1 Translations versus L2 Definitions

Joyce

2016

J NELTA

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This study examines the relationship between student proficiency and the use of first language (L1) translations versus second language (L2) definitions in the learning and testing of L2 vocabulary. For this study, 48 Japanese L2 learners of English studied 200 lexical items from the Academic Word List over a ten-week period. The language in which the meaning of the target vocabulary was presented and tested was manipulated such that the learners were given half in their L1 and half in their L2. The results showed that the low proficiency group learnt significantly more vocabulary than the high group. However, while student proficiency did not interact with study language, it was significantly related to testing language. That is, both overall and over time, the higher ability learners did relatively significantly better on the L2 definition tests and worse on the L1 translation tests, and vice-versa. Journal of NELTA, Vol. 21, No. 1-2, 2016, Page: 93-104

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An Analysis of Student and Teacher Indications of Vocabulary Difficulty

Cited by 7 publications

References 3 publications

L2 vocabulary learning and testing: the use of L1 translation versus L2 definition

L2 vocabulary learning and testing: the use of L1 translation versus L2 definition

English-as-a-Second-Language Reading Instruction in the United States: A Research Review

L2 Vocabulary Learning and Testing: Student Proficiency and the Use of L1 Translations versus L2 Definitions

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