How Does Prior Word Knowledge Affect Vocabulary Learning Progress in an Extensive Reading Program?

Abstract

Sixty English as a foreign language learners were divided into high-, intermediate-, and low-level groups based on their scores on pretests of target vocabulary and Vocabulary Levels Test scores. The participants read 10 Level 1 and 10 Level 2 graded readers over 37 weeks during two terms. Two sets of 100 target words were chosen from each set of graded readers and were tested on three occasions. The results showed that the relative gains from pretest to immediate posttest were 63.18%, 44.64%, and 28.12% for the high-, intermediate-, and low-level groups, respectively. There was little decay in knowledge on the Term 1 three-month delayed posttest; relative gains ranged from 21.05% for the low-level group to 59.01% for the high-level group. The learning gains in Term 2 were consistent with those from Term 1. The results indicate that prior vocabulary knowledge may have a large impact on the amount of vocabulary learning made through extensive reading.

The Effect of Imagery and On‐Screen Text on Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning From Audiovisual Input

“…A large number of target items that differed in a number of ways (see Table ) were selected to capture as much incidental learning as possible. Such an approach “may provide a more accurate representation of vocabulary learning gains than frequency‐based selection of items” (Webb & Chang, , p. 658). Fifteen items had imagery support; 21 items were not supported by on‐screen imagery.…”

Improving reading rates and comprehension through audio-assisted extensive reading for beginner learners

“…Given this, the graded readers were suitable for the student's English proficiency. More importantly, these graded readers had been used many times by previous students who had similar vocabulary knowledge and were usually reported as quite easy and interesting (Webb & Chang, 2014, 2015. The average of each audio duration was about 1 h per book.…”

The Effects of Extensive Reading on Reading Comprehension, Reading Rate, and Vocabulary Acquisition

“…Studies of extensive reading have identified positive impacts of extensive reading on L2 reading abilities and vocabulary (e.g., Al‐Homoud & Schmitt, ; Beglar, Hunt, & Kite, ; Horst, ; Mason & Krashen, ; Pigada & Schmitt, ; Webb & Chang, ). However, positive results from these and other studies on extensive reading seem to be mitigated due to methodological issues, which raise some questions about the effectiveness of extensive reading on L2 learning.…”