Interactive whiteboard technology is a helpful tool for learning to write. However, collaborative... more Interactive whiteboard technology is a helpful tool for learning to write. However, collaborative writing among English language learners using this technology remains underexplored. This study considers the potential effects of collaborative writing supported by interactive whiteboard technology on students' writing performance. A total of 120 students who learned English as a foreign language (EFL) participated in this study. Quantitative results revealed that interactive whiteboard technology integrated with collaborative writing instruction resulted in greater improvement in students' writing performance, followed by traditional whiteboardeintegrated collaborative writing and traditional collaborative writing instruction without whiteboard technology. Qualitative results further suggested that the patterns and timing of metacognitive activities varied across the three groups. Learners receiving interactive whiteboardeintegrated collaborative writing instruction exhibited higher levels of metacognitive activities and were more engaged in coregulation. Implications for using interactive whiteboardeintegrated collaborative writing to promote writing instruction are discussed.
The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching
There has been a rapid development in task-based language teaching (TBLT) in the past 30 years. T... more There has been a rapid development in task-based language teaching (TBLT) in the past 30 years. TBLT differentiates itself from other conventional and communicative teaching approaches by putting the learner center-stage, focusing on meaning with practical relevance, and being highly research-informed. As a researched pedagogy, TBLT has established a close connection with neighboring disciplines, particularly psycholinguistics, in order to account for manifest or latent mechanisms underlying second language (L2) performance and development. For example, a tremendously influential psycholinguistic model for L2 speaking task performance is Levelt's (1989) model of speech production. It includes three major stages in speaking, namely conceptualization, formulation, and articulation. The first stage, conceptualization, is where one conceives an intention, gathers information, and produces a preverbal message. In the formulation stage, the speaker picks up the message and forms a linguistic plan for the intended content. In doing so, they select appropriate lexical items, organize them into constituents in accordance with established syntactic rules in a language, and encode all constituents into a phonetic plan. This plan will then be executed as overt speech in the last stage, articulation. While Levelt's original model aims to describe speech making in one's first language, it has been proven equally useful in explaining L2 speaking processes. It has been argued that there is no fundamental difference between L1 and L2 speakers in terms of conceptualization because it does not involve language-specific subprocesses. However, L2 learners often encounter difficulties in the other two stages, especially during formulation where lexical, syntactic, and phonological encoding often pose great challenges to L2 learners. A fundamental problem for L2 speakers is their processing limitations (Skehan, 1998, 2014). Native speakers are capable of handling language processing in a parallel manner and attending to the three Leveltian stages as well as many of their substages simultaneously. In contrast, L2 learners usually approach language input and output in a serial manner. That is, they may have to process speech planning (conceptualization), linguistic encoding (formulation), and the actual
This chapter provides implications to consider in the development of second-language (L2) English... more This chapter provides implications to consider in the development of second-language (L2) English literacy for pre- and primary, secondary, and tertiary learners in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Reflection on the chapters in this volume suggest the importance of (1) enhancing literacy instruction with a focus on lexical knowledge and focused feedback practices, (2) developing content knowledge for reading comprehension, (3) using assignment design as a way to promote extensive language practice outside the classroom, (4) giving attention to writing assessment, (5) allocating attention to different aspects of reading and writing programs, (6) becoming aware of cultural knowledge and norms associated with literate language use, (7) fostering thinking skills, and (8) adopting appropriate policies for developing language skills.
International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching
The efficient use of working memory (WM) increases the potential of a learner’s cognitive abiliti... more The efficient use of working memory (WM) increases the potential of a learner’s cognitive abilities in learning through multimedia. The present study aims to explore the role of working memory in vocabulary learning through multimedia input. In particular, we explore the possible associations between two components of WM – executive WM and phonological short-term memory (PSTM) – and the effects of three types of input conditions (Definition + Word information + Video, Definition + Word information, and Definition) on second language (L2) vocabulary learning. A total of 95 students completed learning under the three conditions and took two WM tests: a reading span test, which measures complex executive WM, and a non-word span test, which gauges PSTM. We administered a vocabulary knowledge test, which included receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge, immediately and after two weeks. Our findings, based on repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), support the pronounced ...
This book investigates how learners’ motivations and identities are constructed in the process of... more This book investigates how learners’ motivations and identities are constructed in the process of learning and using multiple languages in Asian contexts. It presents examples of multilingual contexts in different parts of Asia and illustrates various achievements and challenges associated with multilingual education. Drawing on recent theoretical developments regarding learners’ motivations and identities in language learning-related research, this book uncovers learners’ motivations that underlie their decisions of learning multiple languages in Asian contexts. It incorporates conceptual interpretations of learners’ motivations and identities in multilingual education. Through empirical studies, the authors offer conceptual interpretations on emerging concepts such as dual-motivation system, motivation dynamics, motivational transformation episodes, and hierarchies of identities. In addition to being highly relevant to applied linguistics, this book is a valuable reference for eve...
Metacognitive strategies, language learning motivation, and self-efficacy belief are crucial to o... more Metacognitive strategies, language learning motivation, and self-efficacy belief are crucial to online or remote learning success. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the interrelationship among metacognitive strategies, language learning motivation, self-efficacy belief, and English learning achievement. The data were collected from three surveys and an English test. The participants were 590 Chinese university students. The findings revealed that self-efficacy belief predicts English learning achievement. In particular, metacognitive strategies and language learning motivation mediate the predictive effects of self-efficacy belief on English learning achievement. The findings show the potential of enhancing online English learning achievement by facilitating learners’ self-efficacy belief, motivation, and metacognitive strategies. Implications can be gained for remote learning within and beyond the coronavirus (COVID-19) context.
There is a huge scarcity of documentation of instances in which students do not follow the peer r... more There is a huge scarcity of documentation of instances in which students do not follow the peer review training guidelines. One factor in these unanticipated scenarios could be learners’ self-efficacy (SE). The current investigation illustrates how different sources of SE contribute to students’ agentic orientations during peer review. For this purpose, six secondary-one students were paired to implement peer reviews in an after-school English writing course, after receiving peer review training. The data from three dyadic peer review sessions, stimulated recalls, and pre-/post-interviews were triangulated with quantitative data from 20 learners. The results showed that the students’ low SE for self-regulation (SESR) for peer review at the outset overshadowed the impact of training and influenced the use of strategies by them during the peer reviews. Whereas those with high SESR followed the instructions from the training session and regulated the peer reviews professionally, those ...
We aimed for this special issue to offer up empirically supported advice to teachers for tackling... more We aimed for this special issue to offer up empirically supported advice to teachers for tackling some of the challenges in teaching reading and writing to young English as a second (L2) or foreign language (FL) learners. These challenges teachers face when providing instruction to young learners include cognitive development, motivation, attention, strategy use, and assessment (Nunan, 2011). It is now well understood that the teaching of reading and writing to young learners can no longer be equated with the teaching of adult learners (Cameron, 2001). In terms of cognitive development, language learners need to go through significant developmental changes in their learning journey from infancy to adulthood (Richardson, 2019). These differences in language learners’ cognitive development call for a need to design language learning tasks and materials that can fit the developmental stages of learners (Teng, 2020a). Language learner motivation can decline over time due to a lack of cl...
Background. Limited studies have been conducted on delineating the rationale behind individual di... more Background. Limited studies have been conducted on delineating the rationale behind individual differences in children developing metacognitive knowledge, as well as reading and writing proficiency. Aims. This study examined the dynamics of children's development of metacognitive knowledge as well as reading and writing proficiency during their progression from Grade 1 to Grade 6. Sample(s). A total of 420 students participated in the study, who were tested 6 times to assess their metacognitive knowledge, reading, and writing proficiency. Methods. The participants were invited to complete three tests: metacognitive knowledge, reading, and writing, which were administered at the end of each grade year. Results and conclusions. Three variables (i.e., metacognitive knowledge, reading, and writing) showed high stability and increasing variance over time. These findings suggest individual differences in children's development of metacognitive knowledge, as well as reading and writing proficiency. Students' metacognitive knowledge grew more quickly among those who entered primary school with already strong metacognitive skills; the same was true for their reading and writing development. Results also revealed predictive effects of students' metacognitive knowledge on their reading and writing performance. Implications are discussed based on these findings.
This study aims to explore the effects of incorporating metacognitive prompts into cooperative le... more This study aims to explore the effects of incorporating metacognitive prompts into cooperative learning on students' academic writing and metacognitive awareness. In total, 150 tertiary-level learners were randomly and equally divided into three groups: a cooperative learning group with metacognitive instruction (EG), a metacognitive instruction group (CG1), and a cooperative learning group (CG2). Participants completed a semester-long intervention. Results revealed that the EG students performed best on academic writing and metacognitive regulation; no significant differences were detected between CG1 and CG2. These findings suggest that significant improvement in metacognitive knowledge was not detected in any group. Relevant implications for teaching writing and understanding EFL learners' metacognitive awareness are discussed.
Research shows that acquisition of writing skills can be supported by metacognitive strategy trai... more Research shows that acquisition of writing skills can be supported by metacognitive strategy training. However, research on incorporating metacognitive guidance for collaborative writing is scarce. The current study explores the potential effectiveness of incorporating metacognitive prompts, that is, a form of metacognitive guidance, into collaborative writing on academic English writing skills. This study involves four instructional methods, that is, collaborative writing combined with embedded metacognitive guidance (COLL+META), metacognitive training without collaborative writing (META), collaborative writing without metacognitive training (COLL), and individual learning (CG). The dependent variables were students' four academic writing skills, that is, reproduction of text structure knowledge, application of text structure knowledge, reduction of text content, and abstract writing. Participants included 160 students who were learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at a university in mainland China. The participants in each condition received 16 weeks of treatment sessions. The results revealed the improvement from pre-test to post-test, supporting the main effects of each learning condition on the four academic writing skills. The results also showed that the COLL+META students demonstrated significantly higher scores in the four academic writing skills than students in the other conditions. This study underlines the importance of incorporating metacognitive strategies for collaborative writing in developing academic writing skills for university EFL students. This study also highlights the potential in applying educational psychology theories for English education.
This study examined the effects of adding collaborative modeling of text structure as an addition... more This study examined the effects of adding collaborative modeling of text structure as an additional component of self-regulated strategy development for elementary school 6th-grade students learning English as a second language (ESL). In this study, 34 students receiving a 'Self-regulated strategy development plus collaborative modeling of text structure' intervention were compared with 36 students receiving a 'collaborative modeling of text structure only' intervention, 38 students receiving a 'self-regulated strategy development only' intervention, and 36 students receiving traditional instruction. Several measures (i.e., content comprehension, summarization of main ideas, and essay writing) were administered after the one-month intervention. Results revealed that, compared to traditional instruction, self-regulated strategy development and collaborative modeling of text structure respectively resulted in better comprehension levels and writing performance. The combination of selfregulated strategy development and collaborative modeling of text structure was particularly effective in increasing primary school students' content comprehension and writing quality. These findings highlight the benefit of coupling self-regulated strategy development and collaborative modeling of text structure for elementary school ESL classroom instruction.
This study intended to examine L2 young learners' vocabulary learning (i.e. form, meaning, and us... more This study intended to examine L2 young learners' vocabulary learning (i.e. form, meaning, and use). The research design involved a 2 (advance-organizer strategy: present vs. absent) Â 4 (caption type: glossed full captions, glossed keyword captions, full captions, keyword captions) between-subjects design. A total of 240 Chinese ESL primary school students were recruited and randomly and equally assigned to eight conditions. Findings revealed that captioned videos produced significant effects on learning regarding the three dimensions of vocabulary knowledge. Glossed full captions were found to be the most effective caption type. Administration of the advance-organizer strategy also resulted in better gains in learning form, meaning, and use than the absence of this strategy. The combination of the advance-organizer strategy and glossed full captions led to the best learning performance for each dimension of vocabulary knowledge. Relevant pedagogical implications, including use of the advance-organizer strategy and captions, are provided.
Interactive whiteboard technology is a helpful tool for learning to write. However, collaborative... more Interactive whiteboard technology is a helpful tool for learning to write. However, collaborative writing among English language learners using this technology remains underexplored. This study considers the potential effects of collaborative writing supported by interactive whiteboard technology on students' writing performance. A total of 120 students who learned English as a foreign language (EFL) participated in this study. Quantitative results revealed that interactive whiteboard technology integrated with collaborative writing instruction resulted in greater improvement in students' writing performance, followed by traditional whiteboardeintegrated collaborative writing and traditional collaborative writing instruction without whiteboard technology. Qualitative results further suggested that the patterns and timing of metacognitive activities varied across the three groups. Learners receiving interactive whiteboardeintegrated collaborative writing instruction exhibited higher levels of metacognitive activities and were more engaged in coregulation. Implications for using interactive whiteboardeintegrated collaborative writing to promote writing instruction are discussed.
The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching
There has been a rapid development in task-based language teaching (TBLT) in the past 30 years. T... more There has been a rapid development in task-based language teaching (TBLT) in the past 30 years. TBLT differentiates itself from other conventional and communicative teaching approaches by putting the learner center-stage, focusing on meaning with practical relevance, and being highly research-informed. As a researched pedagogy, TBLT has established a close connection with neighboring disciplines, particularly psycholinguistics, in order to account for manifest or latent mechanisms underlying second language (L2) performance and development. For example, a tremendously influential psycholinguistic model for L2 speaking task performance is Levelt's (1989) model of speech production. It includes three major stages in speaking, namely conceptualization, formulation, and articulation. The first stage, conceptualization, is where one conceives an intention, gathers information, and produces a preverbal message. In the formulation stage, the speaker picks up the message and forms a linguistic plan for the intended content. In doing so, they select appropriate lexical items, organize them into constituents in accordance with established syntactic rules in a language, and encode all constituents into a phonetic plan. This plan will then be executed as overt speech in the last stage, articulation. While Levelt's original model aims to describe speech making in one's first language, it has been proven equally useful in explaining L2 speaking processes. It has been argued that there is no fundamental difference between L1 and L2 speakers in terms of conceptualization because it does not involve language-specific subprocesses. However, L2 learners often encounter difficulties in the other two stages, especially during formulation where lexical, syntactic, and phonological encoding often pose great challenges to L2 learners. A fundamental problem for L2 speakers is their processing limitations (Skehan, 1998, 2014). Native speakers are capable of handling language processing in a parallel manner and attending to the three Leveltian stages as well as many of their substages simultaneously. In contrast, L2 learners usually approach language input and output in a serial manner. That is, they may have to process speech planning (conceptualization), linguistic encoding (formulation), and the actual
This chapter provides implications to consider in the development of second-language (L2) English... more This chapter provides implications to consider in the development of second-language (L2) English literacy for pre- and primary, secondary, and tertiary learners in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Reflection on the chapters in this volume suggest the importance of (1) enhancing literacy instruction with a focus on lexical knowledge and focused feedback practices, (2) developing content knowledge for reading comprehension, (3) using assignment design as a way to promote extensive language practice outside the classroom, (4) giving attention to writing assessment, (5) allocating attention to different aspects of reading and writing programs, (6) becoming aware of cultural knowledge and norms associated with literate language use, (7) fostering thinking skills, and (8) adopting appropriate policies for developing language skills.
International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching
The efficient use of working memory (WM) increases the potential of a learner’s cognitive abiliti... more The efficient use of working memory (WM) increases the potential of a learner’s cognitive abilities in learning through multimedia. The present study aims to explore the role of working memory in vocabulary learning through multimedia input. In particular, we explore the possible associations between two components of WM – executive WM and phonological short-term memory (PSTM) – and the effects of three types of input conditions (Definition + Word information + Video, Definition + Word information, and Definition) on second language (L2) vocabulary learning. A total of 95 students completed learning under the three conditions and took two WM tests: a reading span test, which measures complex executive WM, and a non-word span test, which gauges PSTM. We administered a vocabulary knowledge test, which included receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge, immediately and after two weeks. Our findings, based on repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), support the pronounced ...
This book investigates how learners’ motivations and identities are constructed in the process of... more This book investigates how learners’ motivations and identities are constructed in the process of learning and using multiple languages in Asian contexts. It presents examples of multilingual contexts in different parts of Asia and illustrates various achievements and challenges associated with multilingual education. Drawing on recent theoretical developments regarding learners’ motivations and identities in language learning-related research, this book uncovers learners’ motivations that underlie their decisions of learning multiple languages in Asian contexts. It incorporates conceptual interpretations of learners’ motivations and identities in multilingual education. Through empirical studies, the authors offer conceptual interpretations on emerging concepts such as dual-motivation system, motivation dynamics, motivational transformation episodes, and hierarchies of identities. In addition to being highly relevant to applied linguistics, this book is a valuable reference for eve...
Metacognitive strategies, language learning motivation, and self-efficacy belief are crucial to o... more Metacognitive strategies, language learning motivation, and self-efficacy belief are crucial to online or remote learning success. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the interrelationship among metacognitive strategies, language learning motivation, self-efficacy belief, and English learning achievement. The data were collected from three surveys and an English test. The participants were 590 Chinese university students. The findings revealed that self-efficacy belief predicts English learning achievement. In particular, metacognitive strategies and language learning motivation mediate the predictive effects of self-efficacy belief on English learning achievement. The findings show the potential of enhancing online English learning achievement by facilitating learners’ self-efficacy belief, motivation, and metacognitive strategies. Implications can be gained for remote learning within and beyond the coronavirus (COVID-19) context.
There is a huge scarcity of documentation of instances in which students do not follow the peer r... more There is a huge scarcity of documentation of instances in which students do not follow the peer review training guidelines. One factor in these unanticipated scenarios could be learners’ self-efficacy (SE). The current investigation illustrates how different sources of SE contribute to students’ agentic orientations during peer review. For this purpose, six secondary-one students were paired to implement peer reviews in an after-school English writing course, after receiving peer review training. The data from three dyadic peer review sessions, stimulated recalls, and pre-/post-interviews were triangulated with quantitative data from 20 learners. The results showed that the students’ low SE for self-regulation (SESR) for peer review at the outset overshadowed the impact of training and influenced the use of strategies by them during the peer reviews. Whereas those with high SESR followed the instructions from the training session and regulated the peer reviews professionally, those ...
We aimed for this special issue to offer up empirically supported advice to teachers for tackling... more We aimed for this special issue to offer up empirically supported advice to teachers for tackling some of the challenges in teaching reading and writing to young English as a second (L2) or foreign language (FL) learners. These challenges teachers face when providing instruction to young learners include cognitive development, motivation, attention, strategy use, and assessment (Nunan, 2011). It is now well understood that the teaching of reading and writing to young learners can no longer be equated with the teaching of adult learners (Cameron, 2001). In terms of cognitive development, language learners need to go through significant developmental changes in their learning journey from infancy to adulthood (Richardson, 2019). These differences in language learners’ cognitive development call for a need to design language learning tasks and materials that can fit the developmental stages of learners (Teng, 2020a). Language learner motivation can decline over time due to a lack of cl...
Background. Limited studies have been conducted on delineating the rationale behind individual di... more Background. Limited studies have been conducted on delineating the rationale behind individual differences in children developing metacognitive knowledge, as well as reading and writing proficiency. Aims. This study examined the dynamics of children's development of metacognitive knowledge as well as reading and writing proficiency during their progression from Grade 1 to Grade 6. Sample(s). A total of 420 students participated in the study, who were tested 6 times to assess their metacognitive knowledge, reading, and writing proficiency. Methods. The participants were invited to complete three tests: metacognitive knowledge, reading, and writing, which were administered at the end of each grade year. Results and conclusions. Three variables (i.e., metacognitive knowledge, reading, and writing) showed high stability and increasing variance over time. These findings suggest individual differences in children's development of metacognitive knowledge, as well as reading and writing proficiency. Students' metacognitive knowledge grew more quickly among those who entered primary school with already strong metacognitive skills; the same was true for their reading and writing development. Results also revealed predictive effects of students' metacognitive knowledge on their reading and writing performance. Implications are discussed based on these findings.
This study aims to explore the effects of incorporating metacognitive prompts into cooperative le... more This study aims to explore the effects of incorporating metacognitive prompts into cooperative learning on students' academic writing and metacognitive awareness. In total, 150 tertiary-level learners were randomly and equally divided into three groups: a cooperative learning group with metacognitive instruction (EG), a metacognitive instruction group (CG1), and a cooperative learning group (CG2). Participants completed a semester-long intervention. Results revealed that the EG students performed best on academic writing and metacognitive regulation; no significant differences were detected between CG1 and CG2. These findings suggest that significant improvement in metacognitive knowledge was not detected in any group. Relevant implications for teaching writing and understanding EFL learners' metacognitive awareness are discussed.
Research shows that acquisition of writing skills can be supported by metacognitive strategy trai... more Research shows that acquisition of writing skills can be supported by metacognitive strategy training. However, research on incorporating metacognitive guidance for collaborative writing is scarce. The current study explores the potential effectiveness of incorporating metacognitive prompts, that is, a form of metacognitive guidance, into collaborative writing on academic English writing skills. This study involves four instructional methods, that is, collaborative writing combined with embedded metacognitive guidance (COLL+META), metacognitive training without collaborative writing (META), collaborative writing without metacognitive training (COLL), and individual learning (CG). The dependent variables were students' four academic writing skills, that is, reproduction of text structure knowledge, application of text structure knowledge, reduction of text content, and abstract writing. Participants included 160 students who were learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at a university in mainland China. The participants in each condition received 16 weeks of treatment sessions. The results revealed the improvement from pre-test to post-test, supporting the main effects of each learning condition on the four academic writing skills. The results also showed that the COLL+META students demonstrated significantly higher scores in the four academic writing skills than students in the other conditions. This study underlines the importance of incorporating metacognitive strategies for collaborative writing in developing academic writing skills for university EFL students. This study also highlights the potential in applying educational psychology theories for English education.
This study examined the effects of adding collaborative modeling of text structure as an addition... more This study examined the effects of adding collaborative modeling of text structure as an additional component of self-regulated strategy development for elementary school 6th-grade students learning English as a second language (ESL). In this study, 34 students receiving a 'Self-regulated strategy development plus collaborative modeling of text structure' intervention were compared with 36 students receiving a 'collaborative modeling of text structure only' intervention, 38 students receiving a 'self-regulated strategy development only' intervention, and 36 students receiving traditional instruction. Several measures (i.e., content comprehension, summarization of main ideas, and essay writing) were administered after the one-month intervention. Results revealed that, compared to traditional instruction, self-regulated strategy development and collaborative modeling of text structure respectively resulted in better comprehension levels and writing performance. The combination of selfregulated strategy development and collaborative modeling of text structure was particularly effective in increasing primary school students' content comprehension and writing quality. These findings highlight the benefit of coupling self-regulated strategy development and collaborative modeling of text structure for elementary school ESL classroom instruction.
This study intended to examine L2 young learners' vocabulary learning (i.e. form, meaning, and us... more This study intended to examine L2 young learners' vocabulary learning (i.e. form, meaning, and use). The research design involved a 2 (advance-organizer strategy: present vs. absent) Â 4 (caption type: glossed full captions, glossed keyword captions, full captions, keyword captions) between-subjects design. A total of 240 Chinese ESL primary school students were recruited and randomly and equally assigned to eight conditions. Findings revealed that captioned videos produced significant effects on learning regarding the three dimensions of vocabulary knowledge. Glossed full captions were found to be the most effective caption type. Administration of the advance-organizer strategy also resulted in better gains in learning form, meaning, and use than the absence of this strategy. The combination of the advance-organizer strategy and glossed full captions led to the best learning performance for each dimension of vocabulary knowledge. Relevant pedagogical implications, including use of the advance-organizer strategy and captions, are provided.
Forty-six students majoring in business English volunteered to take part in an extensive readi... more Forty-six students majoring in business English volunteered to take part in an extensive reading program. The learners were divided into two groups: EG, the experimental group, received instruction in methods of extensive reading plus explicit output-pushed activities, and CG, the control group, received instruction in methods of extensive reading alone. This study measured the effects of extensive reading on EFL vocabulary learning, as well as the effect of the two different instruction methods on learning receptive and productive vocabulary for the 46 learners of different vocabulary size. The research found that (a) both the two instructional methods resulted in significant gains in learners’ receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge, but the combination of the incidental and intentional learning instruction yields greater vocabulary gains; (b) only 91.8 % of receptive vocabulary is understood productively; and (c) students’ vocabulary size plays a decisive role in acquiring the receptive and productive aspect of vocabulary knowledge
This study invited 80 tertiary level EFL learners with low proficiency to take part in a reading ... more This study invited 80 tertiary level EFL learners with low proficiency to take part in a reading program, and tested incidental vocabulary learning by measuring the frequency of word occurrence in two graded readers, Love or Money and Mary Queen of Scots and by administering two tests that probed into the depth of vocabulary knowledge with 36 test items within six bands of frequency (more than 20 times to only once). Half of the chosen words occurred again in the second book. The findings proved that learners with consecutive reading outperformed learners without consecutive reading in learning vocabulary. It was also testified that the higher the frequency level is, the better performance learners achieve, and that the number of times that Chinese EFL learners need to meet a word for them to acquire the depth of vocabulary knowledge is more than 14 times after reading for the first time, and 8 times after reading for the second time. For words, which occurred in a second book, the number of times was decreased to half of the number of previous times that learners need. Incidental vocabulary learning is very limited for low proficiency learners and this learning is largely based on a high frequency of word occurrence. This study also suggests that teaching vocabulary or editing reading books should focus more on building knowledge of known words instead of inputting more new words.
Abstract
Twenty tertiary level EFL learners volunteered to take part in a reading program explor... more Abstract
Twenty tertiary level EFL learners volunteered to take part in a reading program exploring incidental vocabulary learning measured by 30 substituted nonwords within five groups of frequency level in a graded reader, Love or Money. Two nouns, verbs, and adjectives were included in each group of frequency level. A three-aspect measurement and a semi-structured face-to-face interview were used in this study. The findings showed that, overall, the acquisition order of the three aspects was first word form, then word meaning, finally word usage. Incidental vocabulary learning was affected by the frequency of word occurrence, and the learners showed a better proficiency in the words with a higher frequency level. It appeared that, to have a 50% chance of recognizing the word form, exposure to target words more than eight times was necessary. However, exposure to the word more than 14 times was needed for a 50% chance of recalling the word meaning and usage. For the new words that occurred only 1 time or up to 4-6 times, it would be very difficult for the learners to master the word knowledge. In addition, based on the learning outcome of word meaning and usage, the learning difficulties of nouns, verbs, and adjectives were found to vary. It appeared that learning the meaning and usage of verbs were easier than nouns, and nouns were easier to be learned than adjectives.
The current study compared the frequency rate at which word knowledge was acquired by English as ... more The current study compared the frequency rate at which word knowledge was acquired by English as Foreign Language (EFL) students from the two input modes of reading and listening. Fifteen target words were selected and allocated within three frequency groups. The four test types of recall of form, recognition of form, recall of meaning, and recognition of meaning were administered to measure a student's ability in building a form-meaning link. Immediate posttests were administered for assessing vocabulary development, and delayed posttests were administered two weeks later for assessing retention. The results of the current study revealed that new words could be learned incidentally in both modes, but more word knowledge was learned in reading. The effect of word exposure frequency on incidental vocabulary gains was significant for the four test types in both of the two modes. As only partial word knowledge was acquired by both modes, it appeared that, for these two modes to be a valuable source for incidental vocabulary learning, not only word exposure frequency, but also elaborate
Uploads
Papers by Mark Feng Teng
Twenty tertiary level EFL learners volunteered to take part in a reading program exploring incidental vocabulary learning measured by 30 substituted nonwords within five groups of frequency level in a graded reader, Love or Money. Two nouns, verbs, and adjectives were included in each group of frequency level. A three-aspect measurement and a semi-structured face-to-face interview were used in this study. The findings showed that, overall, the acquisition order of the three aspects was first word form, then word meaning, finally word usage. Incidental vocabulary learning was affected by the frequency of word occurrence, and the learners showed a better proficiency in the words with a higher frequency level. It appeared that, to have a 50% chance of recognizing the word form, exposure to target words more than eight times was necessary. However, exposure to the word more than 14 times was needed for a 50% chance of recalling the word meaning and usage. For the new words that occurred only 1 time or up to 4-6 times, it would be very difficult for the learners to master the word knowledge. In addition, based on the learning outcome of word meaning and usage, the learning difficulties of nouns, verbs, and adjectives were found to vary. It appeared that learning the meaning and usage of verbs were easier than nouns, and nouns were easier to be learned than adjectives.