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

4.3 Discussion
4.3.1. The feasibility <strong>of</strong> incorporating online tools to an online extensive reading
syllabus for vocabulary learning purposes
Based on implications drawn from previous studies, we incorporated textual
gloss, highlighting, TotalRecall (a bilingual concordancer), high frequency word lists
and computerized sequencing techniques to the design <strong>of</strong> an online extensive reading
syllabus for vocabulary learning purposes. To reiterate, the use <strong>of</strong> textual gloss was
reasoned as being able to bridge the gap between L2 text and L2 learners’ limited
lexical knowledge (Chun & Plass, 1997; Davis, 1989; Leffa, 1992; Liou, 2000;
Hulstijn, 1993; Hulstijn, et al., 1996; Jacobs, 1994) while highlighting was used for
the purpose <strong>of</strong> raising learners’ attention to target words. The bilingual concordancer,
TotalRecall, was viewed as a search access deepening learners’ processing <strong>of</strong> words
(Laufer & Hulstijn, 2001). Finally, the text sequencing procedures with high
frequency word lists were designed to locate reading texts comprehensible for
learners’ existing word level as well as to ensure substantive amount <strong>of</strong> target word
exposure.
In regard to the aim <strong>of</strong> ensuring comprehensible input, the sixteen texts placed on
the syllabus demonstrated an average target word rate <strong>of</strong> 1.9%, a percentage within
the optimal range <strong>of</strong> 2%~5% suggested by Nation (2001). Also, for the purpose <strong>of</strong>
providing repetitive target word exposure, average target word repetition rate within
the sixteen texts reached a portion <strong>of</strong> 46%. Of the 223 target words in the sixteen
texts, 151 words appeared more than one time and 72 <strong>of</strong> them appeared three times or
more. The distribution result in our syllabus differ greatly compared to Ghardirins’
Textladder (2003) in which an amount <strong>of</strong> exposure <strong>of</strong> five times was ensured within
almost 300 pieces <strong>of</strong> reading text, suggesting that our goals <strong>of</strong> providing
comprehensible input and multiple exposure <strong>of</strong> target words were realized.
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