ERIC Number: EJ1429390
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Apr
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0142-6001
EISSN: EISSN-1477-450X
Available Date: N/A
Context Synthesis Accelerates Vocabulary Learning through Reading: The Implication of Distributional Semantic Theory on Second Language Vocabulary Research
Applied Linguistics, v45 n2 p287-307 2024
Besides explicit inference of word meanings, associating words with diverse contexts may be a key mechanism underlying vocabulary learning through reading. Drawing from distributional semantic theory, we developed a text modification method called reflash to facilitate both word-context association and explicit inference. Using a set of left and right arrows, learners can jump to a target word's previous or subsequent occurrences in digital books to synthesize clues across contexts. Participants read stories with target words modified by reflash-only, gloss-only, gloss + reflash, or unmodified. Learning outcomes were measured via Vocabulary Knowledge Scale and a researcher-developed interview to probe word-context association. We modeled the learning trajectories of words across five weeks among three adolescent L2 English learners (113 word-learner pairings) using Bayesian multilevel models. We found that reflash-only words made more gains than words in other conditions on both outcomes, controlling for key covariates such as types of existing knowledge. Our analysis also revealed that context synthesis may be particularly useful for learning specific types of words like homonyms, which has significant pedagogical implications.
Descriptors: Context Effect, Synthesis, Acceleration (Education), Vocabulary Development, Reading Instruction, Reading, Semantics, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language), Language Research, Story Reading, Learning Trajectories
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A