This experimental study explores the differential effects of spoken input-based and output-based tasks on vocabulary knowledge. The study also investigates whether such tasks result in more learning gains than exposure to input-only (no subsequent task). The study employed a pretest-posttest design with two groups: an experimental group (n = 32) who completed both input- and output-based tasks in a counterbalanced way and a comparison group (n = 12) who were only exposed to L2 input. Vocabulary gains were measured at three levels of sensitivity: oral spontaneous use, oral form recall and meaning recall. The findings showed that participants who were only exposed to L2 input learned significantly fewer words than participants who completed the input-based and output-based tasks. No difference in learning gains was found between the input-based and output-based tasks.

This study investigated the impact of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) mode and familiarity with partners on learner engagement in second-language task-based interaction, and whether learner engagement is linked to subsequent joint-written-text quality. Ninety-eight Vietnamese learners of English were assigned into (±) familiar groups and performed a picture-sequencing tasks in 2 SCMC modes (i.e., video and text chat). Scores of 3 types of learner engagement (cognitive, social, and emotional) were compared across the conditions. Results showed that scores of all engagement types in the video chat were significantly higher than in the text chat. Familiar dyads also showed higher engagement than unfamiliar peers during the interaction. Learners reported different reasons for their preferences of video chat over text chat. Language-related episodes, semantically engaged talk, and mutual help as measures of learner engagement were predictive of the subsequent text quality. The results contribute to the general understanding of the characteristics of video and text chat and their impact on learner engagement and text quality.

This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study that explored the differential effects of input- and output-based tasks on L2 vocabulary learning. The study adopted a pretest- posttest within-participants design, with sixty Vietnamese EFL university students. Participants in the experimental group completed four input and four output tasks in an online learning environment. The target items (ten single words and ten compounds) were counterbalanced across the tasks. The study measured vocabulary gains at four levels of sensitivity: spontaneous use of the target items, form recall, meaning recall and meaning recognition. The analyses showed that the input-based tasks resulted in higher vocabulary gains at the meaning recall level, whereas the output-based tasks resulted in better scores at the form recall level. No difference was found in the spontaneous use and meaning recognition tests.

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