Intensive vocabulary learning: a case study

Fitzpatrick, Tess; Alqarni, Ibrahim R.; Meara, Paul

doi:10.1080/09571730802390759

Cited by 42 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Where these learners were taught Hungarian by their partners for an hour, the rate of vocabulary uptake appeared high: about forty words were learned receptively on average. This is comparable with the vocabulary focused informal activities described in Horst and Meara (1999), Milton (2008) and the bilingual list learning experiment in Fitzpatrick, Al-Qarni, and Meara (2008).…”

Section: The Evidence We Have For Learning In Virtual Environmentssupporting

confidence: 64%

Second Language Acquisition via Second Life

Milton¹

2012

The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics

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Virtual environments such as Second Life offer learners of foreign languages the possibility of extensive language use which has previously only been possible by visits to a foreign country. These sites are widely patronized by non-native speakers but the language gains which occur, if any, are unknown. This entry therefore pays particular attention to a recent project whose objective is to test the language gains which emerge from dedicated language learning environments in Second Life. These suggest that, if appropriately used, virtual environments like Second Life can be a very valuable asset in foreign-language learning

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Section: The Evidence We Have For Learning In Virtual Environmentssupporting

confidence: 64%

Second Language Acquisition via Second Life

Milton¹

2012

The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics

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“…Intentional or direct L2 vocabulary learning involves working consciously to form associations between a foreign word and its meaning. This approach to vocabulary learning has been shown to be a powerful means of establishing the word form to meaning link (Fitzpatrick, Al-Qarni and Meara 2008;Laufer and Shmueli 1997;Webb 2007). In addition, longitudinal studies have suggested that such gains remain largely intact (Beaton, Gruneberg and Ellis 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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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“…However, it has been demonstrated (Nation 2001: 236ff) that the return on investment is relatively modest, in spite of positive effects of repeated or massed input (Horst and Meara 1999;Milton 2008;Pigada and Schmitt 2006) leading to learning rates of 14.5-35 words per hour, or of the positive effects of attention enhancing techniques on uptake (Laufer 2005;Peters 2007;Peters et al 2009). Learners can also engage in intentional studying; the effects of intentional (list) learning have been shown to be considerable (Fitzpatrick et al 2008;Laufer 2005), leading to retention rates of upwards of 70%. Nation (2007) and Schmitt (2008) conclude that 'a vocabulary learning program needs to have an explicit component ' (2008: 342), to which we would add that this explicit component needs to be extended to activities outside the classroom.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How advanced students approach intentional vocabulary study

Pauwels

2015

The Language Learning Journal

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To date, research into vocabulary learning strategies has mainly made use of questionnaires about studying preferences in general or of interviews following a specific study task, focusing on finding out which strategies were most popular. The present investigation attempts to provide more insight into the effects of the parameters of timing and approach on a specific task in the context of the students' regular coursework. Students were given six weeks to study an academic vocabulary of 163 headwords/266 items with the aim of being able to use it productively. Fiftyfive students were divided into groups with different instructions for timing and overall approach with a view to quantitative analyses. Data for qualitative analysis were gathered through study logs. The study used pre-and post-tests consisting of the translation of passages from academic book reviews into English, targeting 25 of the items. The study confirms the potential for large gains of intentional study going beyond immediate effects of form recognition or form recall. Results showed no statistically significant differences for either timing or overall approach. Qualitative study of the logpages confirms the popularity of list learning and provides further indications as to effective and less effective strategies.

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Intensive vocabulary learning: a case study

Cited by 42 publications

References 7 publications

Second Language Acquisition via Second Life

Second Language Acquisition via Second Life

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

How advanced students approach intentional vocabulary study

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