Modeling the Role of Second Language Proficiency and Topic Familiarity in Second Language Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition Through Reading

Abstract

The study examines the impact of topic familiarity, second language (L2) reading proficiency, and L2 passage sight vocabulary on incidental vocabulary acquisition. Independent variables include (a) a topic familiarity questionnaire, (b) the Adult Basic Learning Examination, Spanish Battery(Karlsen & Gardner, 1990), and (c) a passage sight vocabulary test. A repeated‐measures design was used with a cross‐sectional sample. Participants read narratives (2 more and 2 less familiar) containing nonsense words. Two and 28 days after reading, 2 gain measures were administered: (a) translation production and (b) translation recognition. Analyses reveal robust effects of reading proficiency, differential effects of topic familiarity, and isolated effects of passage sight vocabulary. The discussion concerns the impact of these factors and plausibility of interactive compensatory processing.

Does Deeper Involvement in Lexical Input Processing during Reading Tasks Lead to Enhanced Incidental Vocabulary Gain?

“…in line with relevant research (Pulido, 2003;), topic familiarity is one of the factors which determine vocabulary acquisition, since students find the text more relevant, allocate www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/selt Studies in English Language Teaching Vol. 5, No.…”

The Effects of Context Richness and Different Task-demands on Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention

“…With the increasing concern on the role of words in L2 acquisition, more and more relative researches were undertaken in this field, for example, we know something about at what rate learners can learn new words from their reading, how many words we need to read effectively in a second language, the frequency of a word we need to learn in reading and how well the reading is retained, etc. Hulstijin, 1996;Joe, 1998;Newton, 1995;Pulido, 2003).…”

“…Pulido (2003) investigated topics of reading materials and learners' English reading proficiency's effect on the incidental vocabulary learning. The subjects are 99 adults whose mother-tongue is Spanish.…”

Sinifying Joyce: Appraising Second-Language Confucian Readers’ Constructions of Meaning in Ulysses

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