Au tournant des années 2000, un désir de renouveau pédagogique amène le ministère de l’Éducation du Québec à revoir ses programmes ministériels (2006 ; 2009) et à leur apporter plusieurs modifications de taille. Appuyé par les recherches sur le sujet, ce dernier accorde alors, dans ses écrits, une place enviable à l’acquisition et l’accroissement du vocabulaire (Graves, 1986 ; Mel’čuk et Polguère, 2007 ; Tremblay, 2004). Néanmoins, la réalité dans les écoles primaires au Québec est toute autre, alors que le lexique est formellement peu enseigné en classe (Anctil, Singcaster et Tardif, 2018), et ce, malgré le fait que les enseignants dressent un portrait lacunaire du vocabulaire de leurs élèves : imprécision et redondance des mots employés, difficultés de compréhension, etc. (Grossmann, 2011). Dans la plupart des cas, cela s’explique par le fait que les enseignants ont besoin d’être outillés (Beck, McKeown et Kucan, 2013) et c’est dans cette optique que nous avons décrit et analysé des pratiques effectives expertes sur le sujet. Pour réaliser cette recherche, 2 enseignants jugés experts dans l’utilisation de la littérature jeunesse, un outil à privilégier (Léon, 2004 ; Montésinos-Gelet, Dupin de Saint-André et Noël, 2008) dans ce contexte, ont été retenus. Nous nous sommes ensuite rendus dans leur classe respective afin d’observer et d’analyser leurs pratiques en contexte réel lors de 5 séances d’enseignement-apprentissage du vocabulaire réalisées à l’aide d’albums jeunesse. Pour rendre compte de leurs pratiques, nous avons élaboré une grille d’observations basée sur le modèle multi-agenda (Bucheton et Soulé, 2009), qui s’articule autour de 5 préoccupations, et le cadre de référence de Jackson (1966 ; 1968). Nous nous sommes intéressés aux pratiques enseignantes, aux dispositifs d’enseignement ainsi qu’aux apprentissages ciblés (mots issus des œuvres et relations lexicales fondamentales). Au terme de nos observations et de notre analyse, nos résultats démontrent notamment que les deux enseignants observés privilégient deux dispositifs d’enseignement différents, qu’ils utilisent tous deux la lecture répétée et que leur sélection des mots enseignés est variable. / At the turn of the last century, an ambition to renew the Quebec education system lead the Ministry of Education to significantly review and update its education programs (2006; 2009). One of the major changes to these programs, based on research on the subject, pertains to an increased focus on vocabulary acquisition and growth (Graves, 1986; Mel’čuk & Polguère, 2007; Tremblay, 2004). However, these changes have not necessarily been effectively implemented to daily classroom activities where lexicons are rarely formally taught (Anctil, Singcaster & Tardif, 2018), despite the fact that teachers routinely describe student vocabulary as inadequate with, among others, imprecise and redundant word use and comprehension issues (Grossmann, 2011). In most cases, this trend can be explained by the fact that teachers must be properly equipped to address this situation (Beck, McKeown & Kucan, 2013). It is with this in mind that we have therefore decided to describe and analyse effective practices in this field. To complete this research project, two teachers, considered experts in the use pedagogical use of youth literature, an important tool for vocabulary acquisition (Léon, 2004 ; Montésinos-Gelet, Dupin de Saint-André & Noël, 2008), were recruited. Their practices were observed and analyzed throughout five in class observations of vocabulary lessons in which child books were used a primary learning tool. To analyze the teaching practices employed, an observation matrix was constructed based on the multi-agenda model (Bucheton & Soulé, 2009), which is constructed around five principles, and Jackson’s framework (1966 ; 1968). Our main interests were the teaching practices employed, the pedagogical tools used, and the learning objective addressed, in this case vocabulary emerging from literature and fundamental lexical relationships. Our results demonstrate that both teachers favour two different teaching strategies, that both use repeated reading, and that the words selected for learning varied.

The value of this research hinges on the idea that exchanging illustrations for descriptive text can provide appropriate schemas for students with reading difficulties and thereby improve their comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. The research in this dissertation is based on theories and earlier research in the fields of psychology, education, reading, and narratology. A review of these fields offers a variety of perspectives on the processes involved in reading and comprehension. These processes range from the physical systems involved in reading (e.g., early childhood development, eye movement) to the psychological systems, which include cognitive load theory as well as image and text processing models. This study compares two reading methods by analyzing students' vocabulary and comprehension gains. Both groups read the same text and completed the same pre- and post-tests. The control group read the text from the book which was text only. The experimental group read from a modified text on the computer screen. The text was modified by replacing some sentences with images designed to transmit the same information (e.g., descriptions of the setting, vocabulary items) in a graphic format. The images were in-line with the text, and designed to be read as part of the story, not as additional illustrations. Final analysis shows that the experimental format performed as well as the control format for most students. However, students who have learning disabilities, particularly language learners who have learning disabilities, did not make gains in the text only control format. These same students did show statistically significant gains with the experimental format, particularly the section of reading where the vocabulary words were explicitly presented in the images. Disparate, non-homogenous groupings of students reflect the actual teaching and learning circumstances in the school, as required by the school system. This situation thus represents the actual status quo situation faced by teachers in our school. We leave it to future researchers to work with more homogenous groups of students in order to attain clearer, stronger and more plaintively useful results.

There have been many different studies done around the subject of Extramural English, where researchers Sundqvist and Sylvén (2012) have drawn the conclusion that there is a correlation between video games and learners of English improving upon their English vocabulary. This study focuses time spent on whether or not playing video games for an extended amount of time will help with a student’s English vocabulary. This was done by having the students answer a demographic questionnaire in which they answer whether or not they regularly play video games, and answers approximately how many hours a week they do play. The study is looking for a correlation between improved vocabulary scores and longer periods of time spent playing video games every week. The study also looks into specific vocabulary that is commonly found in video games and compares different groups which have spent different amounts of time each week playing video games. Do video games help a learner’s English vocabulary and if so, does an increased amount of time spent on playing video games correlate to a higher score on the vocabulary tests, and do students who plays video games have an easier time with some of the specific vocabulary? The study found that there is indeed a correlation and that if a student spends time playing video games their English vocabulary proficiency will most likely increase as well. A student who spends more than ten hours a week on playing video games had higher average scores than those who played less than ten hours a week. Incidentally the students who did not play video games at all had the lowest average scores in the vocabulary tests. Lastly students who spent time playing video games had an easier time answering the questions relating to words that are commonly used in video games. / Många olika studier har utförts kring lärandet av engelska utanför klassrummet. Forskare har bland annat undersökt möjliga samband mellan Extramural engelska och ett förbättrat engelskt ordförråd. Sundqvist och Sylvén (2012) visar t.ex. ett samband mellan ord inlärning och dataspel. Om det finns ett direkt samband mellan tid tillbringad framför dataspel och utökat ordförråd är vad som utgör fokusen för denna undersökning. I denna korrelationsstudie utdelades ett demografiskt frågeformulär till 60 elever i årskurs nio. Eleverna frågades om hur regelbundet de spelade dataspel och hur många timmar de spelade varje vecka. Eleverna svarade även på ett vokabulärprov där de fick lösa problem angående engelsk vokabulär. De elever som spenderade tio timmar eller mer per vecka med dataspel hade högsta medelvärde på vokabulärproven. De elever som spelade mindre än tio timmar per vecka hade lägre. Samtidigt hade de elever som inte spenderade någon tid alls på dataspel den lägsta medelvärdes poäng utav grupperna. Studien visar en koppling mellan tid spenderat framför dataspel och ett utökat engelskt ordförråd. Ytterligare undersöks möjliga samband mellan tid spenderat på dataspel och inlärning av engelska ord som ofta används i dataspel. I vokabulär provet som eleverna fick fanns det sex ord som eleverna behövde lösa. Dessa ord är vanliga att hitta inom dataspel. Resultatet visar att de elever som spelade dataspel presterade bättre med de dataspels specifika vokabulärproblemen. De elever som inte spelade alls presterade sämst av grupperna, medan elever som spelade lite dataspel varje vecka presterade sämre än de som spelade mycket dataspel varje vecka.

The present study examines possible effects of extramural English (EE) on oral proficiency (OP) and vocabulary (VOC). The study is based on data collected from Swedish learners of ESL in grade 9 (aged 15-16; N=80; 36 boys, 44 girls) over a period of one year. EE was defined as linguistic activities that learners engage in outside the classroom in their spare time. EE was measured with the help of a questionnaire and two language diaries, each covering one week. In the diaries, the learners recorded how much time they had spent on seven given EE activities (reading books, reading newspapers/magazines, watch­ing TV, watching films, surfing the Internet, playing video games, listening to music). There was also an open category. Speech data were collected with the help of five interactional speaking tests; learners were in random dyads on each occasion. Each student performance was assessed by three raters with the help of a profile scheme, resulting in an overall grade. Based on these grades from the tests, a mean grade for OP (the OP grade) was calculated for each student. OP was defined as the learner’s ability to speak and use the target language in actual communication with an interlocutor. Learners’ VOC was measured with an index variable based on the scores on two written vocabulary tests. For a selection of ten learners, additional analyses were made of oral fluency and the use of advanced vocabulary in speech. A mixed methods research design was used, but the lion’s share of data was analyzed using inferential statistics. Results showed that the total amount of time spent on EE correlated positively and significantly (p < .01) both with learners’ level of OP and size of VOC, but that the correlation between EE and VOC was stronger and more straightforward than the one between EE and OP. The conclusion drawn was that although EE impacts both OP and VOC, the causal relationship is more salient in the case of VOC. Results also showed that some activities were more important than others for OP and VOC respectively; i.e., the type of EE activity mattered. EE activities that required learners to be more productive and rely on their language skills (video games, the Internet, reading) had a greater impact on OP and VOC than activities where learners could remain fairly passive (music, TV, films). An important gender difference was identified. Boys spent significantly more time on productive EE activities than girls; therefore, EE had a greater impact on OP and VOC for boys than for girls. Four background variables were also studied. The conclusion was that EE is an independent variable and a possible path to progress in English for any learner, regard­less of his or her socioeconomic background.

The purpose of this study is to provide additional research on the topic of the relationship between extramural English activities and performance on vocabulary tests among Swedish school learners. Data were collected from English L2 learners in Swedish upper secondary school (English 6 course). A questionnaire about participants extramural English activities was filled in. Participants then took a receptive vocabulary test of 140 items. The participants (N=74) were aged 17, with the exception of one 19-year-old and two 16-year-olds and got divided into two main research groups: gamers and non-gamers. The results from the vocabulary test revealed that gamers had a higher mean score than non-gamers on the test. However, the non-gamers trailed behind with a barely notable distinction. When examining the gamer group more closely, the findings show that participants who spent more time gaming also had the highest scores, compared to lower frequency gamers. Additionally, gamers spend more hours per week on other English-related media (excluding tv-series, movies and gaming) than the non-gamers. This makes it possible to conclude that there is, to some extent, a connection between extramural English activities and better receptive vocabulary. However, while extramural activities influence vocabulary, so does length of instruction in a language. The non-gamers caught up to the gamers, one reason as to why being a result of the length of instruction in English, which may even out large differences between gamers and non-gamers for more advanced learners (Peters, 2018). / Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med ytterligare forskning om ämnet extramurala engelsksaktiviteter och deras inverkan på svenska skolelevers vokabulärinlärning. Data samlades in från elever som har engelska som andrahandsspråk och som gick på gymnasiet (och deltog i engelska 6 kursen). Deltagarnas uppgift var att fylla i ett frågeformulär samt ett engelskt vokabulärtest som bestod av 140 ord. Deltagarna (N = 74) var 17 år gamla, samt en 19-årig elev och två 16-åriga elever, och delades in i två huvudgrupper: spelare (gamers) och icke-spelare (non-gamers). Resultaten från vokabulärtestet avslöjade att spelarna hade ett högre medelvärde än icke-spelare på testet: Dock hade icke-spelarna nästan samma  medelvärde. När man undersöker den gruppen som spelar spel närmare, visar resultaten att deltagare som tillbringade mer tid på spel också hade de högsta poängen jämfört med spelare som spelade mindre frekvent. Dessutom tillbringar spelare i genomsnitt fler timmar per vecka på annan  engelskrelaterad media (exklusive tv-serier, filmer och spel) i genomsnitt än icke-spelarna. Detta gör det möjligt att dra slutsatsen att det i viss utsträckning finns en koppling mellan extramurala engelskaktiviteter och högre ordförrådsförmåga. Peters (2018) slutsats visade att även längden av engelskstudierna kan ha en inverkan på vokabulären och för äldre elever kan möjligen effekten av exempelvis dataspelande jämnas ut desto längre de studerat engelska.

The thesis deals with activating teaching methods and their influence on vocabulary acquisition in the field of English for Medical Purposes. The experimental research explores the extent to which activating teaching methods influence the acquisition of professional vocabulary. For this purpose, a set of activities (didactic games and role-plays) was created and implemented at the beginning of each teaching block for the subject Medical English I and II. The main objective of these activities was the review of word stock from the previous lessons. The review was focused on the form, meaning, and use of words. In the research, both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used, including progress tests, credit tests, and questionnaires. Progress tests and credit tests were used to measure whether there was a significant statistical difference regarding the professional vocabulary acquisition between the experimental and control groups. A statistically significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups at the B2 level only. The questionnaires showed that activating teaching methods were positively evaluated by the B1 and B2 participants and were appreciated for their practical benefits (professional vocabulary acquisition, the positive influence on...

Très tôt dans leur cheminement, les élèves sont amenés à réaliser des apprentissages conceptuels et leur rapport aux disciplines scolaires est souvent basé sur la compréhension de différents concepts abstraits. Au premier cycle du primaire, les élèves sont invités, entre autres, à construire leur représentation de l’espace, du temps et de la société en univers social et acquérir le vocabulaire de base se rattachant à ce domaine (MELS, 2001a). Bien qu’il soit reconnu que cette compétence est essentielle au cheminement des élèves, elle occupe peu de place en classe de premier cycle du primaire (Boulet et Martel, 2017; Drolet, 2014). Pourtant, il s’avère fondamental d’outiller les élèves à observer, à lire et à comprendre certaines réalités sociales et spatiales autour d’eux et d’assurer le développement d’un réseau conceptuel centré sur les concepts d’espace, de temps et de société. L’originalité de la présente recherche repose sur le développement d’une démarche didactique qui d’une part, répond aux besoins de nombreuses enseignantes du primaire soucieuses de faire évoluer leur pratique pédagogique quant à l’enseignement de l’univers social et au recours à la lecture et à l’écriture en contexte d’intégration des matières pour faire construire les concepts abstraits chez leurs élèves. D’autre part, cette démarche offre une approche transversale, car bien que notre projet de recherche soit concentré sur les concepts abstraits du domaine de l’univers social, fondamentalement, les retombées de cette démarche didactique peuvent se manifester pour n’importe quel concept de n’importe quelle discipline scolaire. Notre recherche se distingue donc par son caractère novateur et la pertinence de sa portée théorique et pratique dans les classes du premier cycle du primaire. Elle se veut doublement pertinente : d’un point de vue scientifique, elle génère de nouvelles connaissances sur les domaines d’enseignement-apprentissage soulevés et d’un point de vue pratique, elle permet d’explorer de nouvelles stratégies en enseignement. C’est dans cette perspective que nous avons mené une recherche-développement qui poursuivait comme objectif le développement et la mise à l’essai auprès d’expertes des communautés universitaire et pratique d’un dispositif didactique utilisable pour les enseignantes du premier cycle du primaire de manière à analyser par la suite ses avantages reconnus par les expertes quant au recours à des œuvres de littérature jeunesse pour l’enseignement et à l’apprentissage des concepts abstraits. La démarche didactique développée Lire et écrire pour construire des concepts abstraits, qui implique la réalisation d’activités de lecture et d’écriture prenant appui sur des œuvres de littérature jeunesse, a été exemplifiée autour des concepts en univers social, soit le temps, l’espace et la société. L’avis d’expertes a permis de valider nos choix effectués pour construire notre cadre de référence ainsi que de valider l’adéquation de notre dispositif avec les résultats des plus récentes recherches dans le domaine (Bergeron et Rousseau, 2021; Loiselle, 2001). L’approche qualitative et exploratoire a présidé à la collecte des données. L’analyse a été conduite à partir des questionnaires soumis aux expertes des communautés universitaire et pratique ainsi que des observations effectuées en classe d’expérimentation sous l’angle des cinq composantes du modèle théorique du multi-agenda de Bucheton et Soulé (2009). / Very early on in their development, students are required to learn concepts and their relationship to school subjects is often based on the integration of various abstract concepts. In the first cycle of elementary school, students are asked, among other things, to construct their representation of the concepts of space, time and society in the social science and to acquire the basic vocabulary related to this field (MELS, 2001a). Although it is recognized that this skill is essential to students' development, it occupies little space in the first cycle of elementary school (Boulet and Martel, 2017; Drolet, 2014). Yet, it is fundamental to equip students to observe, read and understand certain social and spatial realities around them and to ensure the development of a conceptual network centered on the concepts of space, time and society. The originality of the present research lies in the development of a didactic approach that, on the one hand, meets the needs of many elementary school teachers concerned about changing their teaching practice about the teaching of the social science and the use of reading and writing in the context of subject integration to build abstract concepts in their students. On the other hand, this approach offers a cross-curricular approach, because although our research project is limited to the abstract concepts of the social science, the effects of this didactic approach can be applied to any concept in any school discipline. Our research is thus distinguished by its innovative character and the relevance of its potential application in the first cycle of elementary school. It is intended to be doubly relevant: from a scientific point of view, it will generate new knowledge on the teachinglearning domains raised, and from a practical point of view, it will make it possible to explore new teaching strategies. With this in mind, we conducted a research-development project whose objective was to develop and test a didactic device for use by first cycle elementary school teachers with experts from the academic and practical communities to analyze the advantages recognized by the experts in the use of children's literature for the teaching and learning of abstract concepts. The didactic approach developed for Lire et écrire pour construire des concepts abstraits, which involves reading and writing activities based on works of children's literature, was exemplified around the concepts of the social universe: time, space and society. The opinion of experts made it possible to validate the choices we made in constructing our frame of reference as well as to validate the adequacy of our system with the results of the most recent research in the field (Bergeron et Rousseau, 2021; Loiselle, 2001). The qualitative and exploratory approach was used to collect the data. The analysis was based on questionnaires submitted to experts as well as observations made in the experimental classrooms from the perspective of the five components of Bucheton and Soulé's (2009) theoretical model of the multi-agenda.

<p dir="ltr">Vocabulary is a crucial element in second language learning. However, researchers in vocabulary acquisition express concerns about students’ successful acquisition of vocabulary (e.g., no significant gain after one semester of instruction (Clark & Ishida, 2005)) and the limited classroom instruction dedicated to vocabulary. In an effort to address these issues, the present study developed an online vocabulary learning system intended for use as homework, incorporating relevant theories, hypotheses, and empirical findings from existing literature and investigated its effectiveness employing a mixed-methods design.</p><p dir="ltr">For the quantitative component, students’ vocabulary gains were measured across three aspects of vocabulary knowledge (breadth/size, depth, and speed of access). A three-week experiment was conducted with students enrolled in the third-semester Japanese language course at a US Midwest institution. The final dataset included 54 students’ data. The experimental group (<i>n</i> = 28) utilized the new system to learn target words, while the control group (<i>n</i> = 26) used the current system employed in the course. The current system is also operated online and includes two types of exercises (i.e., listen-and-repeat and flashcards). ANCOVAs were employed to identify any significant differences between the groups, controlling for their pretest scores. Additionally, regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between the time the experimental group students spent learning new words using the new system and their outcomes, while also controlling for their pretest scores.</p><p dir="ltr">For the qualitative component, eight students from the same participant pool as the quantitative component participated in one-hour focus group discussions, conducted separately for the experimental and control groups.</p><p dir="ltr">The quantitative analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups; however, it was found that the time spent by the experimental group learning new words using the system significantly predicted two aspects of vocabulary knowledge. The qualitative data offered insights into potential explanations for the lack of significant differences between the groups, including the influence of students’ motivation on the experiment and the perceived difficulty level of the vocabulary exercises implemented in the new system. Based on the results of the present study, numerous suggestions are made for future development projects of similar systems and research.</p>