No description available.

This dissertation evaluates the untested assumption that the individuation of events into units matters for word learning, particularly the learning of terms which map onto relational event units (Gentner & Boroditsky, 2001; Maguire et al., 2006). We predicted that 3-year-old children’s statistical action segmentation abilities would relate to their verb comprehension and to their overall vocabulary knowledge (Research Question 1). We also hypothesized that statistical action segmentation would facilitate children’s learning of novel verbs (Research Question 2). Largely confirming our first prediction, children who were better able to statistically segment novel action sequences into reliable units had more sophisticated overall vocabularies and were quicker to select the correct referents of overall vocabulary items and verb vocabulary items; nevertheless, they did not have larger verb vocabularies. Unexpectedly, statistical action segmentation did not facilitate children’s learning of verbs for statistically consistent action units. However, children showed greater learning of verbs labeling statistical action part-units than verbs labeling statistical action non-units, providing some evidence for our second prediction. In sum, this dissertation takes an important step towards understanding how event segmentation may contribute to vocabulary acquisition. / Psychology

This research focuses on the strategies that native English speakers use as they learn to speak and write Chinese vocabulary words in the first year of an elementary Chinese class. The main research question was: what strategies do native English-speaking beginning learners of Chinese use to learn Chinese vocabulary words in their speaking and writing? The study was conducted at a medium-sized comprehensive university in the Southeastern U.S. The study drew from concepts and theories in second language acquisition and psycholinguistic studies. A random sampling of four students was selected in their first year of Chinese study for qualitative analyses. Data were collected from demographic student surveys, reflection papers, interviews, observation and field notes, weekly diary of the students and Strategies Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). The conclusions from this study provide insight as to how students of this demographic approach the challenge of learning Chinese. From this study, a clear picture emerges that students use different strategies to learn Chinese. Some students respond better to sound while others are more visually based learners. However, in this study, students used combinations of audio, visual, and kinesthetic learning techniques. The tonality of spoken Chinese was one of the most difficult skills to master and this aspect of the language frustrated many students. This is a widely recognized problem with Chinese education. Nevertheless, students enjoyed the artistic nature of Chinese characters and for the most part enjoyed writing them. This element can be emphasized in Chinese instruction to motivate students and appeal to visual learners. Similarly, integrating instruction on Chinese culture into language classes made the Elementary Chinese curriculum more appealing to students. Using native Chinese speakers from the local community in the language curriculum, reinforced classroom instruction, made the instruction more relevant, and increased student interest. Encouraging students to attend Chinese cultural events in the community had many of the same positive benefits for students. The motivations for learning revealed in this study are very interesting and support earlier studies of Chinese learners. Personal and profession interests as well as a combination of both these factors were the most commonly cited reasons for learning Chinese. Maintaining proper motivation is a pivotal factor that determines the success of many elementary learners including the students in this study. When students lost their motivation, interest in the curriculum and learning declined as well. Teachers need to be aware of motivations and attempt to foster them in individual students in order to maximize the learning experience. / Ph. D.

This research delves into the influence of visual aids on vocabulary development amongEnglish as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, particularly in fostering independent readingskills. Numerous studies have debated the efficacy of integrating visuals, such as pictures,with text in enhancing reading comprehension. These visual supports have been observed toheighten motivation levels among EFL learners during the vocabulary acquisition process.The primary focus lies in examining how visual aids impact vocabulary acquisition andcontribute to the development of independent reading comprehension. Conducted primarilythrough searches in primary sources like ERIC and ERC, this study utilized keywords such as“vocabulary acquisition,” “EFL,” “visual support," and "primary school" spanning a decade(2019-2022). The findings from these studies concerning visual aids and vocabularyacquisition are then contextualized within the Swedish National English curriculum andrelevant theoretical frameworks. However, due to the scarcity of research specific to certainage groups, further studies are deemed necessary to explore the backgrounds of various EFLlearners and devise more effective methods for facilitating vocabulary acquisition.

This study analyzes ten beginning-level, Spanish-language graded readers in an attempt to answer the question of how much vocabulary do students need to know before being able to successfully participate in an extensive reading program. The study also analyzes the vocabulary taught in a beginning-level Spanish textbook to determine how well this vocabulary reflects the most common words in Spanish according to a frequency dictionary. It was found that a lexicon of 5,000 words was needed to obtain a sufficient level of comprehension in order for extensive reading to occur and that the textbook examined in this study did not present vocabulary that was extremely reflective of the most common words in the Spanish language.

In Second Language Acquisition (SLA)literature there has been a considerable theoretical debate over the issue of teachers’ use of the students’ first language, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as ‘code-switching’. Yet to date there has been little study of the effect of teachers’ use of code-switching (CS) on the second language learning itself. Therefore the aim of this research was to study the effect of teachers’ CS on the learning of English word meanings by two age groups – 19- and 12-year–old EFL students in Korea. To this end, this study implemented a quasi-experimental design but conducive to ecological validity, drawing on intact EFL classrooms of two kinds: one with monolingual English teachers (English-only condition) and the other with bilingual teachers who speak mainly English but occasionally switch to Korean to explain unknown English words (CS condition). Under these two different instructional types, the participants – 286 adult and 443 young learners – were encouraged to learn previously unknown English words, drawn from reading texts, through their teachers’ explanations. The study also employed a participant questionnaire and follow-up interviews, so as to shed light on the issue of teacher CS from the learners’ perspective. The results reveal that, for both age groups, the teachers’ CS by and large yielded better learning results, in terms of vocabulary gains, than English-only instruction. However, an inspection of the effect sizes further shows that young learners, compared with adult ones, might benefit from the CS environment to an even greater degree in the learning of vocabulary. The findings from the questionnaire and interviews further suggest that this differential effect of teachers’ CS might be due to the young learners’ overwhelming preference for teachers’ CS in learning English. These differences both in results and learner perceptions are explained as resulting from proficiency levels on the one hand and levels of learning experience on the other. Having discovered these differential effects of teachers’ CS on the two age groups, the findings of the present thesis call for a reconsideration of pedagogical decisions regarding L2-only instruction, in particular for young L2 learners.

nÃo hà / Nas Ãltimas dÃcadas, o ensino-aprendizagem de lÃngua estrangeira (LE) tem se beneficiado dos estudos sobre o uso de material audiovisual legendado, embora haja uma carÃncia no que se refere a essas pesquisas com participantes em nÃvel inicial de aprendizagem, se comparadas aos estudos com participantes em nÃvel intermediÃrio e avanÃado (MATIELO; DâELY; BARRETA, 2015). Partindo dessa necessidade, nossa pesquisa (Parecer: 1.322.500 â CEP/UFC) investiga a efetividade do uso de filmes legendados combinados à traduÃÃo de legendas intralinguais como forma de ampliar o repertÃrio vocabular de estudantes de lÃngua inglesa (LI) do Ensino MÃdio. Para isso, aplicam-se os pressupostos da teoria funcionalista da TraduÃÃo encontrados em Reiss (2004), em Vermeer (2004), principalmente em Nord (2000; 2001; 2005a; 2005b; 2006a; 2006b; 2009; 2010a; 2010b; 2010c; 2012) e seu projeto de traduÃÃo que parte de uma anÃlise textual dos elementos intratextuais e extratextuais, comuns aos diversos tipos de texto, como forma de promover um entendimento abrangente do texto-fonte (TF). Faz-se, aqui, tambÃm, uma discussÃo sobre as caracterÃsticas da linguagem fÃlmica (MARTIN 2005; ZABALBEASCOA 2008; AUMONT 2006; 2009; GAUDREAULT; JOST 2009) e suas implicaÃÃes no campo da traduÃÃo audiovisual (TAV), com Ãnfase na legendagem (ORERO 2004; DÃAZ CINTAS 2004; 2005; 2008; DÃAZ CINTAS; ANDERMAN 2009; GAMBIER 2006; 2009; DÃAZ CINTAS; REMAEL 2014), percebendo as contribuiÃÃes que os materiais audiovisuais legendados podem trazer ao ensino-aprendizagem de uma LE. Por meio da aplicaÃÃo de uma sequÃncia didÃtica (SD) em sala de aula do Ensino MÃdio, verificou-se que houve uma aquisiÃÃo vocabular em LI que ultrapassou 50% da carÃncia lexical demonstrada pelos participantes no prÃ-teste, o que representa um ganho considerÃvel para os estudantes dessa LE, tornando essa ferramenta didÃtica, SD, da forma como foi aplicada, profÃcua. Podendo, assim, ser utilizada em outros contextos de sala de aula de LE como mais uma opÃÃo de ensino. / In recent decades, foreign languages (FL) teaching and learning has benefited from studies on the use of subtitled audiovisual material, although there is a shortage of work concerning research with participants in initial level of learning, compared to studies involving participants at intermediate and advanced level (MATIELO; DâELY; BARRETA, 2015). Based on this need, our research (Parecer: 1.322.500 â CEP/UFC) examines the effectiveness of the use of subtitled films combined to the translation of intralingual subtitles as a way to broaden the vocabulary repertoire of English language (EL) students from high school. To this end, we apply the assumptions of the functionalist theory of Translation found in Reiss (2004), in Vermeer (2004), and mainly in Nord (2000; 2001; 2005a; 2005b; 2006a; 2006b; 2009; 2010a; 2010b; 2010c; 2012) and her translation project which starts from the textual analysis of intratextual and extratextual elements, shared by various types of text, as a form of promoting a comprehensive understanding of the source text (SC). We also discuss the characteristics of the filmic language (MARTIN 2005; ZABALBEASCOA 2008; AUMONT 2006; 2009; GAUDREAULT; JOST 2009) and its implications for the field of audiovisual translation (AVT), focusing on subtitling (ORERO 2004; DÃAZ CINTAS 2004; 2005; 2008; DÃAZ CINTAS; ANDERMAN 2009; GAMBIER 2006; 2009; DÃAZ CINTAS; REMAEL 2014), as well as considering the contributions that the subtitled audiovisual material may bring to the FL teaching and learning. Through the application of a didactic sequence (DS) with a high school class, it was found that there was a vocabulary acquisition in the EL which surpassed 50% of the lexical deficit that was identified in the participantsâ pretests, which represents a considerable gain for this FL students, making this pedagogical tool, DS, the way it was applied, productive. Thus, it may be used in other FL class contexts as another teaching option.

No description available.

No description available.

This study investigates whetherthe context of learning contributes to the vocabulary acquisitionin asecond language. Swedish L2 learnersof Italian studying at Stockholm universityare compared to Swedish L2 learners studying atthe same program in a study abroad context inRome. The study is longitudinal,and the development of vocabulary knowledge is measured by the Vocabulary Levels Testwith a month in between the tests. Both groups showeda higher knowledge of low frequency words compared to high frequencywords,by the secondtest there had also been establishedan increaseof vocabulary knowledge. However, they study found that the group studying in an at home-contextoutperformed their peers in the study abroad program in Rome in both of the tests.