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

3.1. Overview
Chapter Three
METHODOLOGY
In this study, an on-line extensive reading syllabus was designed and developed
based on previous research implications on effective online vocabulary learning. We
wish to probe into the issue <strong>of</strong> the feasibility <strong>of</strong> constructing an on-line extensive
reading syllabus that provides comprehensible input with control <strong>of</strong> target words and
repetitious exposure to those words and to evaluate subjects’ vocabulary learning
outcome after using this tool. Second, we wish to examine the issue <strong>of</strong> how much
exposure <strong>of</strong> target words is needed for Taiwanese college learners’ learning <strong>of</strong>
receptive and productive word knowledge. A one-group pretest and posttest design
was adopted. This chapter presents the methodology for constructing the extensive
reading syllabus and the experiment in order to address incidental vocabulary learning
effectiveness. Details on participants, instruments, procedures, and data analyses are
discussed.
3.2. Participants
Participants involved 70 college freshmen students in a public university <strong>of</strong>
northern Taiwan. These students were from two intact classes and were taking the
course, Freshmen English, as a required course. Freshmen English is a one-year
course emphasizing English listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Its aim is to
prepare students with reading and writing competence for academic purposes and also
equip them with public speaking ability. All <strong>of</strong> the 70 participants have had at least
six years <strong>of</strong> formal English learning experiences from junior high to senior high
school and were estimated to be in the intermediate level regarding their overall
English competence. Such previous learning experience in high school and the
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