23.12.2012 Views

Effects of Graded Texts on EFL College Students' Incidental ...

Effects of Graded Texts on EFL College Students' Incidental ...

Effects of Graded Texts on EFL College Students' Incidental ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

2.1. Overview<br />

Chapter Two<br />

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE<br />

In this secti<strong>on</strong>, issues <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> incidental vocabulary learning while reading are<br />

discussed to show where the gaps are and some possible improvements CALL may<br />

help al<strong>on</strong>g this line <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> research. This chapter c<strong>on</strong>sists <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> four major secti<strong>on</strong>s each<br />

maintaining a possible dimensi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> facilitating vocabulary acquisiti<strong>on</strong> for sec<strong>on</strong>d<br />

language learners in extensive reading c<strong>on</strong>texts. The first secti<strong>on</strong> reviews studies<br />

related to the effectiveness <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> computerized gloss and incidental vocabulary learning.<br />

For designing a classroom syllabus, word lists for the purpose <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> vocabulary<br />

acquisiti<strong>on</strong> are taken up in the sec<strong>on</strong>d secti<strong>on</strong>. The third secti<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>cerns<br />

enhancement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> vocabulary acquisiti<strong>on</strong> through sequencing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> reading texts. Last,<br />

the issue <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the degree <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> exposure to a word for successful word acquisiti<strong>on</strong> is<br />

introduced.<br />

2.2. Computerized Gloss and <strong>Incidental</strong> Vocabulary Learning<br />

C<strong>on</strong>textual guessing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> vocabulary while reading is <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten encouraged by<br />

researchers rather than dicti<strong>on</strong>ary c<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong> due to the c<strong>on</strong>cern that dicti<strong>on</strong>ary use<br />

in the process <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> reading could be interruptive and thus interfering the short term<br />

memory which results in impeded reading comprehensi<strong>on</strong>. Empirical studies,<br />

however, have not provided evidence to substantiate such asserti<strong>on</strong>s. Luppescu and<br />

Day (1993) investigated the c<strong>on</strong>tributi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> bilingual dicti<strong>on</strong>ary use <strong>on</strong> vocabulary<br />

learning by recruiting 293 <strong>EFL</strong> Japanese university students and found dicti<strong>on</strong>ary<br />

access led to superior vocabulary acquisiti<strong>on</strong> as opposed to no dicti<strong>on</strong>ary access.<br />

Support for dicti<strong>on</strong>ary use while reading and teachers’ instructi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> dicti<strong>on</strong>ary<br />

5

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!