Elementary School EFL Learners' Vocabulary Learning: The Effects of Post-Reading Activities

Abstract

As language learning involves the acquisition of thousands of words, teachers and learners alike would like to know how vocabulary learning can be fostered, especially in EFL settings where learners frequently acquire impoverished lexicons, despite years of formal study. Research indicates that reading is important but not sufficient for second-language vocabulary learning, and that it should be supplemented by post-reading activities to enhance students' vocabulary knowledge. The present study investigates the effects of two types of post-reading activities: discrete written tasks on their own and a combination of written tasks along with interactive tasks on the vocabulary acquisition of young learners in an EFL setting. A total of 62 Grade 6 students in two classes in a public school in Turkey participated in the study. Data were collected by the Cambridge English Test (CYLET) and Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS). Results showed that the experimental group students outperformed the control group students in acquisition of both selected and unselected vocabulary items. The use of interactive tasks as post-reading activities proved to be an effective way of enhancing the L2 vocabulary knowledge of young learners.

Effect of interactive post-reading tasks on reading comprehension of Iranian young adults pre-intermediate EFL learners

“…According to Atay and Kurt (2006), reading is important but not sufficient for second-language vocabulary learning, and that it should be supplemented by post-reading activities to enhance students' vocabulary knowledge. This study investigates the effects of two types of post-reading activities: discrete written tasks on their own and a combination of written tasks along with interactive tasks on the vocabulary acquisition of young learners in an EFL setting.…”

“…Based on Atay and Kurt (2006), As language learning consists of the achievement of thousands of words, teachers similar to learners would like to know how vocabulary learning can be promoted, particularly in EFL contexts where learners where most learners do not develop strong mental lexicons, even though they study English formally for years. Research reveals that reading is important but not enough for second-language vocabulary learning, and that it should be accompanied by post-reading activities to augment students' vocabulary knowledge.…”

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“…The increasing body of research on vocabulary learning and teaching in recent years clearly demonstrates the significance of vocabulary knowledge, both as part of second language proficiency and as a basis for further second language learning (Atay & Kurt, 2006). Foreign/second language teachers and students view vocabulary acquisition as a major goal of language teaching (Walters, 2004); it cannot be ignored that having good vocabulary knowledge enhances one's language proficiency.…”

Assessing Young Hungarian EFL Learners’ Vocabulary and Learning Strategies

“…The study discovered that the less frequent a word is the less chance students have of knowing it. Atay and Kurt (2006) applied the VKS in a control-group treatment for the assessment of Turkish 6 th graders (n=62) in order to map their English word knowledge. The YLs' vocabulary development, elicited by post-reading activities, was measured.…”

“…This instrument was applied by Lehmann (2009) for the assessment of university students as Paribakht and Wechse (2006) calibrated the VKS for this age group The VKS has also been designed for YLs recently. The was used by Atay and Kurt (2006), Paribakht and Wechse (2006), and Jóhannsdóttir (2010) to assess YLs. Their research findings will be presented in section 3.4.…”