Dispersion and frequency: Is there any difference as regards their relation to L2 vocabulary gains?

Abstract

<p>Despite the current importance given to L2 vocabulary acquisition in the last two decades, considerable<br />deficiencies are found in L2 students’ vocabulary size. One of the aspects that may influence vocabulary<br />learning is word frequency. However, scholars warn that frequency may lead to wrong conclusions if the way<br />words are distributed is ignored. That is to say, it seems that not only the number of occurrences (frequency)<br />might affect L2 vocabulary acquisition, but also the way occurrences are distributed (distribution). This<br />relationship between these two factors is represented by the so-called Gries’ index, known as dispersion. The<br />present study aims to find out whether dispersion is more an accurate and reliable predictor for L2 vocabulary<br />learning than frequency only.</p>

Effects of word-related factors on first and second language English readers’ incidental acquisition of vocabulary through reading an authentic novel

“…Among the factors, dispersion was the only significant predictor of the acquisition of the productive word knowledge of unknown words for both groups, with the more evenly distributed words having the higher meaning recall scores. This finding supports the value of the role played by distribution of occurrence in word learning (Alcaraz-M armol, 2015;Gries, 2008;Hashimoto and Egbert, 2019), extending it to both L1E and L2E incidental vocabulary acquisition through reading.…”

“…the number of sub-corpora – individual chapters or books – in which a word occurs) and dispersion (i.e. the spacing between token/target word recurrences) affect both L1E vocabulary acquisition (Frishkoff et al , 2008) and L2E vocabulary learning (Alcaraz-Mármol, 2015; Hashimoto and Egbert, 2019). However, it appears that no research into incidental vocabulary acquisition has yet analyzed the unique contribution that frequency-related factors (i.e.…”

Effectiveness of Type of Feedback and Frequency on Digital Game-Based L2 Vocabulary Acquisition

“…In fact. recent studies suggest that other factors like saliency (the relevance of a word within a given context) and distribution (the way occurrences are distributed over time) may actually have a greater impact on L2 vocabulary learning processes than frequency (Alcaraz-Marmol, 2010, 2015.…”

Exploring Esp Textbooks for Commerce and Medicine: An Analysis of Skills and Types of Instruction

“…In the field of vocabulary, frequency and functionality have been explored (Alcaraz-Mármol 2009, 2011, 2015Destiani, Andayani & Rohmadi 2018;Sakata 2019). Other aspects such as dispersion and variation have been considered a focus of study (Matsuoka & Hirsh 2012;Alcaraz-Mármol 2015;Nordlund 2016).…”

“…In the field of vocabulary, frequency and functionality have been explored (Alcaraz-Mármol 2009, 2011, 2015Destiani, Andayani & Rohmadi 2018;Sakata 2019). Other aspects such as dispersion and variation have been considered a focus of study (Matsuoka & Hirsh 2012;Alcaraz-Mármol 2015;Nordlund 2016). As regards type of instruction, particularly relevant are the works by Criado, Sánchez and Pascual (2010) and Criado (2016), although these studies are predominantly concerned with methodological issues in that they seek the validation of a scale that can objectively measure the loads of explicit and implicit instruction of textbook activities.…”