The advantages of both explicit and incidental vocabulary learning mechanisms have been a subject of ongoing scholarship within the field of Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition (SLVA). Most studies addressing these two types of learning mechanisms have explored them within the context of second language (L2) reading activities. Traditionally, research on explicit and incidental vocabulary has been conducted without computer technology, at least for studies involving English. This thesis examines the opportunities that intermediate ESL learners had to acquire vocabulary while reading pre-selected texts every week using a computer program known as REAP as part of their coursework in the English Language Institute. Students received an individualized series of documents containing target words in a study that was developed as an extension of an earlier study of enhanced learning conditions. The target words consisted of a list of academic words that students did not know. The list was determined by a vocabulary pre-test. Students were told explicitly to try to learn the meanings of their target vocabulary words by clicking on them in order to view online dictionary definitions. Students engaged in explicit learning of target words, though in doing so, they were given the opportunity to use the same online dictionary to look up other non-target words. The learning of non-target words proceeded via incidental learning mechanisms. Data was collected through observations of students, teacher feedback and student-student interviews. The quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed a variety of student learning outcomes and behaviors. There was no relation between non-target and target vocabulary learning outcomes. Students exhibited one of two distinct vocabulary-learning behaviors. One group of students took notes while reading and focusing more on target words. The other mainly asked their teacher vocabulary questions while reading. The results of the study are explored in terms of their pedagogical implications.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-08082006-035505 |
| Date | 28 September 2006 |
| Creators | Pelletreau, Timothy R. |
| Contributors | Dawn E. McCormick, Alan Juffs, Claire Bradin Siskin |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-08082006-035505/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
Page generated in 0.0142 seconds